The Medjai's Spitfire
by C-Alrich
Summary: Alex Taren could never have imagined, when her cousins discovered a map to Hamunaptra, the adventure that it would end up taking them on. Things like the dead coming to life, and curses being fulfilled and broken. Things like men from the desert who appear to be enemies, but then realizing they are friends. And... maybe a bit more as well. Rated M for my persisting paranoia. :)
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: "I do not own any part of the Mummy franchise. Wish I did, because those first two movies were awesome. But I don't. All credit for quotes and scenes taken from the movie, go to the writers, producers, directors, etc. I own only Alexandra Taren, and any original content that I make her do or say. That is all."

* * *

Chapter 1

It should first be understood that Alex is not like her cousin. That idea should be cleared from your minds straight away. She's not book smart. She can't 'speak' Egyptian. She just can't ever seem to put the syllables, or vowels, or any of it in the right order for speech for some reason. She never speaks it right. She can write and read it. She can translate into English, but she just can't speak it in the original language of the Egyptians.

What she lacks in bookish knowledge though, she makes up for in her skill with weaponry. Oh, yes. Where Evie's fighting skills are limited to maybe knocking a bookshelf over on top of someone to crush them, Alex knows several different fighting styles and skills. Even after her parents died and she came to live with Evie and Jonathon, she kept on studying how to fight and defend herself.

Guns, swords, bow and arrows, karate, kung fu, and basically any other style she could find. She's also turned out to be rather inventive. When she was eleven she made a homemade explosive out of things she found in the pantry of their house. She blew it up outside of course, but it still left a nasty burn mark on the pavement in the driveway.

Anyway, point is, she's not Evie. She doesn't wear skirts or dresses. She wears pants and boots. Sure, her blouses are nice when she wears them properly, but most of the time she has the top four buttons left open so air can reach her skin. Her shirt almost always ends up off, leaving her in a tank top that shows off the tattoo on the back between her shoulder blades. A beautifully crafted compass, with the words wrapping around it, 'Not all who wander are lost'.

Her brown hair isn't curly like Evie's, and her blue eyes are dark and get even darker when she's pissed. And beneath her shirt are scars from the attack the night her parents were murdered and she had been left for dead. Not that she doesn't have a scar on her right arm that reaches from her shoulder to her collar bone, but the ones on her sides and stomach are more gruesome still.

She's not Evie. She's Alexandra Taren.

That being said, Alex's presence in the library could almost always be as assured of a fact as Evie's. Alex's jobs in the city however, by comparison, weren't as… let's say prestigious as Evie's was. Jonathon's occupation was gambling. Not really an occupation, obviously, but when it became apparent that Alex wasn't going to let anyone in any of the places he went actually hurt him, it surprisingly opened some opportunities for her. More because the owners figured, if they couldn't beat her, they should just hire her.

She worked as a bouncer for some pubs and local gambling arenas. When she wasn't doing that, she also taught self-defense classes at night. She usually let the students choose the venue, and she just showed up when they had decided.

Obviously not the steadiest of income, but she did make good money. And with Evie working at the Museum of Antiquities, together they always pooled together more than enough to support both themselves and Jonathon when he needed a hand.

On this particular morning, however, even with all of this taken into account... Alex is sad to say that she hadn't been at the library when Evie had knocked down, literally, all of the book shelves in the museum. Alex was only just coming in now, watching as the curator, Dr. Bey, walks around the room in distress.

He looks up upon seeing her enter the room, and he points and says, "That cousin of yours…" "Is a wonderful person indeed." "She…" "Doctor, please remember who you're talking to."

She had told him once before, when he'd yelled at Evie in front of her, that she would just as soon break him in half, as she would listen to him talk about his precious museum, or about how awful Evie was for help. Evie might slip up now and again, but she was also the best employee Dr. Bey had. In fact, one of the only employees he had at the moment. He couldn't afford to get rid of her, and therefore could afford to pay her a tiny bit of respect and sympathy.

Alex looks around the room as he tries to come up with some other retort. Then she shrugs, "And seriously? You set up all the shelves in a circle like dominoes. You didn't expect this to happen some day when you did that?"

She leaves him at that, going into the back to try and find Evie. She'd expected to find her upset and maybe crying. Alex knew that her cousin's request to join the Bembridge Scholars had been denied yet again. Something about not enough field experience.

Which was Dr. Bey's fault, in Alex's mind. But she kept that to herself because she knew that Evie, in spite of everything else, did hold the man in high regard.

But when she found Evie, Jonathon was already with her. As Alex came to their side to see what they were doing, Evie asks as she turns a little trinket around in her hands, "Where did you get this?" Jonathon tries to play it off casually, "On a dig, down in Thebes."

Alex raises an eyebrow at him, to which he quickly averts his gaze. To Evie, he could get away with some lies. Not with Alex though. She could see right through him.

Instead of berating him though, seeing as how he had managed to pull Evie out of her funk with whatever it was, Alex kept her mouth shut and watched as Evie inspected the little box. Jonathon scoots closer and says, "My whole life, I've never found anything Evie. Please tell me I've found something."

And then Evie, very carefully pushing in on a few particular points, manages to snap the little box open, revealing a folded piece of parchment inside. "Jonathon?" "Yes Evie?" "I think you've found something."

Alex looks to the box, to the paper, and then at her two cousins, who are currently just staring at the thing in fascination. Then she can't help grinning when they jump as she breaks the spell of silence by asking bluntly, "Great! What the hell is it?"

* * *

Of course, the parchment didn't matter in the end. Not because it wasn't valuable; but because Dr. Bey 'accidentally' burnt it. And more specifically, burnt off the part locating the lost city.

Dr. Bey had squirmed so much in his seat that, though Evie was tempted to stop her, she didn't actually try to make Alex stop glaring at the man. If Alex was pissed at him, it more than likely meant Alex had a high suspicion that he hadn't done it on accident. He'd burnt it on purpose.

Though Evie couldn't honestly understand why he would've done that, and told Alex as much. But Alex was insistent. Looking over at Evie, she says, "A three thousand year old parchment detailing a path and location for the lost city of the dead, and your precious curator didn't even bat an eyelash of concern when he 'accidentally' burnt it and tossed it to the ground? Yeah. It was totally by mistake."

Turning to face forward again, following Jonathon as he leads them into a market in the city, she adds, "He's hiding something. I have no idea what, but he's hiding something. I don't trust him." "You never have!" "And obviously with good reason."

Evie just laughs, and then pauses when Jonathon finally finds the warden who can take them to see the person he'd 'borrowed' the little box from. In a prison.

Great.

Evie's mouth drops open a little before she says, "You told me that you got it on a dig down in Thebes." "Yeah, well, I was mistaken." "You lied to me Jonathon!"

Alex rolls her eyes and says, "You're honestly surprised." Jonathon gives Alex a pitiful look, to which she concedes, "Still love you. But I knew it was a lie." Jonathon smiles at her, and then says to Evie, "Besides, I lie to everyone. What makes you so special?" "I am your sister!" "Yes, well, that just makes you more gullible. Unlike Alex here, who somehow has a truth detector wired into her nervous system or some sort."

Alex grins at that, and then as Jonathon tries to steer them away from the place, reminding them both that he picked a man's pocket to get the box in the first place, she grabs his arm and jerks him back around.

Evie sighs in relief at having Alex on her side, especially in a place like this. Neither herself nor Jonathon were exactly comfortable in a place like this. Jonathon was good for gambling and drinking. He was not so much up for the visiting of prisons in the harsher parts of the city. But Alex…

Well, Alex had never really been afraid of much of anything, not as long as Evie had known her. It's why, though Jonathon and Evie feel very much out of place, Alex walked around the yard as if she had already been here countless times before. Even though she had never set foot here in her entire life. She only had a couple of true fears that Evie could tell, and they were ones that she felt no one could fault Alex for having, given her circumstances.

Anyways, back to the current situation, Evie says to Jonathon as Alex hauls him onward, "Honestly Jonathon. Stop being so ridiculous." And then to the man leading the way in, Evie asks, "What exactly is this man in prison for?" The warden turns to them, "Well, this I did not know. But when I heard you were coming, I asked him that myself." "And what did he say?" "He said he was just looking for a good time."

The man they're here to see, who is struggling enough that it takes at least three other men to drag him out into the gated yard, has shaggy and scraggily hair, tattered clothes and prison chains on his wrists and ankles. And as they shove him to the bars, he glares out at them for a moment, teeth bared.

He looks like a man ready to break necks. He also looks like a man whose been wronged. At least, that's what he looks like to Alex. Most people probably only see the scraggily and frightening looking man. Alex sees the fighter he must be. There's also something about him. Something in his eyes. Like he had seen entirely too much death to even really still be alive at this point.

It was a quality she recognized, because it was one she shared with him.

He was a strong individual, probably both mentally and physically. And while Evie and Jonathon kind of edged away from the cage, Alex stayed her ground and met his harsh gaze, which he continued to give for a moment even as he was knocked to his knees.

Jonathon is trying to urge Evie away, but Alex is still holding his arm, ensuring he remains. The man's eyes finally find hers, and he seems to relax a little. Softening his gate and dropping his hands from where he'd been gripping the bars, he asks, "Who are you?"

Jonathon turns, having been the one addressed. Then the man looks at Alex again, "And who are you?" Then he looks to Evie, "And who's the broad?"

Evie frowns deeply at him and asks, "Broad?" Alex makes a tsk sound with her tongue and mutters, "Strike one." The man looks at her, and maybe a smirk plays at his lips. If he weren't in prison, Alex could see herself being a good friend with the man.

Jonathon then steps up and says, "Well, I… I… uh… I'm just a local sort of missionary chap, spreading the good word. This is my sister Evie." He pulls Evie closer, hoping to deflect some of the man's now undivided attention. Evie nods to him and says, "How do you do?"

The man looks to her for a moment, and then says, "Yeah well. Guess she's not a total loss." "I beg your pardon!" Alex sucks a sharp breath in through her teeth and while trying to hide a laugh says, "Strike two." He turns to her, now a genuine smile on his face as he asks, "And who are you?" "Alex. Cousin to both of them. Pleasure." "Wish I could say the same, but given the circumstances…" "Yeah, I get it."

The warden suddenly shouts and Alex rolls her eyes before glancing to watch him leave. Evie, taking Jonathon's advice, moves a little closer to the bars now that the warden is preoccupied, and says, "We have found… Um… hello, excuse me, sir? We all found your… your puzzle box, and we've come to ask you about it."

The man takes a moment to just look at all of them carefully, and then leans back and says, "No." Evie frowns, "No?" "No. You came to ask me about Hamunaptra."

Alex raises an eyebrow at him, and then smirks a little and says, "Backing up to just strike one." The man chuckles, and then turns to Evie when she asks quietly, "How do you know the box pertains to Hamunaptra?" "Because that's where I was when I found it. I was there."

Jonathon, apparently feeling tougher now, what with the bars between them and Alex standing at his side, comes even closer, in the man's face almost, and then asks, "How do we know that's not a load of pig's wallow?" "You know… do I know you?" Jonathon offers a light laugh, "Oh no, no. I've just got one of those faces…"

And then, as the man remembers where he knows Jonathon from, and apparently figures out just how they got the box in the first place, he punches Jonathon square in the jaw, hard enough even through the bars and with cuffs on, to knock him out and on the ground. Alex stares for a moment, a humorous grin lighting her face. Sure, Jonathon was family, but he'd most definitely had that coming.

She jerks herself back to attention though as one of the guards hits the man in the back as punishment, but before the guard can do it again, Alex shouts, "Hey!" The guard freezes, Alex's fierce gaze seemingly stopping him mid-swing. She then gestures to Jonathon and says, "Trust me. He probably deserves a lot worse. Chill out. Geez."

The man in chains sighs, a little relieved, and nods to her in appreciation. And then he can't help but smirk when she says, "Back to no strikes by the way. You are on a roll."

Evie then steps over Jonathon and asks in amazement, "You were actually at Hamunaptra?"

The smile that comes over the man's face tells Alex that he has suddenly come up with a plan. What exactly that is, she has no idea. But a plan, nonetheless. And as he and Evie go back and forth for a moment, she wonders at what exactly he thinks he could do right now that would help better his own situation at the moment.

Then he motions for Evie to come closer, as though about to tell her a secret. And that's when he grabs her chin and kisses her full on the mouth. Alex stares for a moment at her cousin, who she thinks has maybe only been kissed two other times in her whole life. Neither times worth mentioning or keeping a real record of.

When he lets her go, the man says, "Then get me the hell out of here!"

It takes three guards again, just to get him back inside. And even as he's being shut behind the door, Alex nods to herself and says aloud, "I like him." Evie glances over at her, and then asks desperately, "Where are they taking him?" The warden, back from whoever he'd been yelling at, says, "To be hanged. Apparently… he had a very good time!" Alex gives him a glare, and then turns to meet Evie's desperate gaze. They need that man, regardless of anything else Evie may or may not like about him. And at the nod Alex gives her, Evie relaxes from her distraught state. Alex might not know right away how they were going to get the man out. But once again, Alex was on her side. So the odds of actually getting it done practically quadrupled, compared to when she was trying to solve the problem alone.

Grabbing the warden by the scruff of his collar before he can just walk away, Alex hauls him back so he's standing with them again. He seems stunned that she has the strength to drag him back at all, but before he can comment, Alex says, "Take us with you." "Absolutely not. It's…"

He stops when Alex's hardened gaze meets his, and Evie smiles. If it could be said that humans could have superpowers, then Alex would have the power of making people do what she wanted. It was a power she used only when necessary. And at other times, she'd occasionally use it simply because Evie or Jonathon needed it from her. Like right now, when Evie needs help making sure they have a chance to save the only man they know who can get them to Hamunaptra.

The warden looks like he might try to argue again, but Alex tilts her head and narrows her eyes, so he quickly says, "Fine, fine. This way."

Alex nods, and then grabs Evie by the hand and pulls her along. "What about Jonathon?" Alex shrugs, "We'll get him on the way out, Evie. Come on."

Upon sitting down in the gallery to watch the hanging, Evie starts immediately trying to bargain for the man's life. One hundred pounds. Two hundred pounds. Three hundred pounds. When she finally reaches five hundred pounds, the warden tells them to pause. But then he asks, "And what else? I'm a very lonely man."

His hand reaches her thigh the same time Evie slams her book on his fingers. And if that weren't enough, Alex smacks him in the back of the head hard enough to nearly send him flying from the second story perch they're currently sitting on. The crowd laughs and the warden, embarrassed and angry, orders them to drop the man they need to save. "NO!"

Alex pushes Evie back into her seat when her cousin stands and screams. Watching closely, she notices the man clenching his muscles, particular those in his neck and jaw. And when he drops, though there is a horrid snapping sound, it comes from the rope itself, and not the man. Patting Evie's shoulder, she says, "He's alright. Work fast."

Evie honestly can't think of anything else though, and the warden isn't up for taking any higher offers simple cash. So Alex finally says, "He knows the location of Hamunaptra." The warden swivels around instantly while Evie shows her wide eyes. Alex just shrugs and then says to her, "You want to get there at all? We need him." So Evie turns back to the warden, hardening herself so she doesn't get swindled while trying to save the man they need, and begins at, "We'll give you ten percent." "Fifty." "Twenty." "Forty." "Thirty." "Twenty-five."

Alex smirks at the warden's last offer, "Now that's what I call a deal." He seems to realize he duped himself, and it was clear he was pondering if he could go back to thirty at least. But as the sound of swiftly moving steel catches his attention, he turns to see Alex holding a dagger in her hands. Her eyes were narrowed on him, like a lioness watching every single move of the prey she was about to kill for dinner. Bartering with the man was obviously their better option. But there was no mistaking the look Alex was giving him. She would kill him, free the man, and find a way out of here before anyone could do anything about it. And judging from the grip she was putting on the knife, he was running out of time to make the decision for himself. Alex didn't need him. She just needed the man who knew how to get to Hamunaptra.

With a final whine of disappointment, the warden finally tells the men below to cut the rope. And as he hits the ground and starts breathing full breaths of air again, their new friend looks up at the gallery to see them. Evelyn nods down to him, quite pleased with the fact that they managed to pull this off. It was obvious that, at first, the man hadn't actually thought they'd be able to do it.

Then he looks over at Alex, who slips her dagger back into place at her waist. Wrapping an arm around Evie's shoulders, she grins, "Now that is what I call an intense negotiation. Very nice." "You think so?" "A year ago you would've let him have fifty, no arguments whatsoever. I'm impressed."

And then they both grin and laugh when the warden, having heard Alex's last comment, shouts, "WHAT?!"

* * *

Rick, as they come to find out he is called, meets them after his chains are removed and the rope taken from around his neck. He looks to Alex first, maybe about to thank her. The fact that she'd been holding her knife before he'd been released led him to believe she was the bigger reason he was still alive. Bu Alex just points a finger at Evie before then moving to the side and standing watch over them. Like a sentry, if Rick had to pick a word for it.

After thanking Evie for saving his neck, and a little more discussion on the topic of getting to this lost city that apparently wasn't so 'lost' after all, Rick agrees to meet them at the Giza Port to board a boat that will take them further into Egypt. And within a two days ride, he will get them to Hamunaptra.

Jonathon seems dubious about taking Rick at his word at first, but Alex simply comes forward, shakes his hand, and says, "See you tomorrow then." He gives her a firm nod in return, smiling at the way she doesn't question whether or not they can trust him. The other two were clearly still wary of him, but Alex seemed to have already made up her mind that she was going to believe what he had to say.

On their way out of the market, finally getting rid of the warden for now, Jonathon asks in surprise, "So what? We just let him go on his merry way, without anything? No address or number to look up in case he doesn't show? How do we know…" "He'll show." "How do you know that Alex?"

She turns to him, her eyes slightly harsh, but she says calmly, "Because he values his word the same way that I value mine. He made a deal with Evie that if she got him down, he would get her to Hamunaptra. We held up our end. He won't let his down. It's not in his nature." Turning to continue heading them for home, glaring down a swindler on the side of the street who had been thinking about trying to approach them, Alex then says to them, "So I suggest we all get a good night's sleep. Looks like tomorrow is going to be the start of a rather busy few weeks up ahead."

* * *

When they first arrived at the dock, even though Alex did already trust Rick more than she did Dr. Bey, Evie was still fuming over the fact that they needed him at all. She'd had time to think about it more now. Which honestly, Alex considers to be a bad thing. Evie had a tendency to overthink things more often than not. It was usually what helped her become as intelligent as she already was, her mind constantly on the move and her thirst for knowledge never ending. But in this particular case, it gave her more time to think about the scraggily, smelly, previously arrested man that they were allowing to lead them on this expedition.

In spite of what his previous first impression had tried to say about him though, when he approaches them from behind and asks if Evie is talking about anyone he might know... well, Evelyn had to do a double take. And yeah, Alex will admit it too. When the man wasn't in a prison cell, where accommodations were clearly lacking, Rick cleaned up exceptionally nice. Gone were the worn clothes and long hair. Gone was the dirt and grime. His hair was cut and he was clean, and he was dressed in what Alex considered a sort of militia type uniform.

Certainly not a man that appeared to belong in a prison. And definitely a man that Alex is happy to know. Not to mention the fact that Evie is obviously taken with him when she realizes he's not some abusive caveman type of person like he had seemed at the prison. Alex decides to remind her later that in prison, you don't get decide what you wear, when you cut your hair, or if you even get to bathe. And given the fighting nature they'd already seen, Alex would bet hard money that Rick made it hard for the officers in the prison to so much as take an eye off of him, lest he end up breaking out... or breaking one of them in half. So yeah, it wasn't completely his fault that he'd been shown to them in such a state. It was more the warden's fault, for being a coward.

And Alex decides she definitely will need to inform Evie of that later. Because she's literally so stunned by Rick's new appearance, that she nearly drops her bags on the ground at the sight of him. Or... well, maybe that's simply because of the crush she's quickly developing for this man. Not that Alex doesn't think he's a nice-looking man. Strapping and strong and clearly not afraid of much. All of that is good. But he's not her type. She's not sure why, considering any man she ended up with was definitely going to have to have those qualities... but this one is not for her.

Which is honestly all well and good, seeing how Evie watches after him as Rick grabs her bags for her and carries them onto the boat. Smirking, Alex moves to stand beside Evie while Jonathon says, "Yes, yes, you're right. Filthy, rude, complete scoundrel, nothing to like there at all." Evie gives him a look, and then laughs helplessly when Alex says playfully, "I fully expect this is going to be a wonderful trip. Full of danger, mummies, and maybe even a little romance." "Honestly Alex!"

She just grins at Evie, and then says, "Come on. Or this boat will leave without us."

* * *

Chapter 1! Yay!

Just some FYI stuff down here. First of all, if you're reading this, thank you for reading. Second of all, if you've read my stuff before, then you know I usually post my stories to their completion fairly quickly. That will not be the case with this one. The way I originally typed it, as all one document, needs to be broken apart. And some of the chapters need some work before they're ready for upload and posting. So this story will be posted slower than the others I usually do. Hopefully still pretty quick... but I make no promises on when each chapter will go up. So in that respect, I also thank you for your patience.

Also, I feel the need to point out that I have, yet again, created an overly protective character for this story. At some point, I'll attempt to try and shake things up. But when I do usually come up with my characters, somehow, most of them end up with at least a little bit of that quality. What can I say? It's kind of what makes me love them.

Anyways, this story will span the first and second mummy movies. I'm not going into the third, because I don't like it as much, and Ardeth isn't even in that one. But I love the first two movies, and so this one story will span both of them. And I hope you enjoy it!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: "I do not own any part of the Mummy franchise. Wish I did, because those first two movies were awesome. But I don't. All credit for quotes and scenes taken from the movie, go to the writers, producers, directors, etc. I own only Alexandra Taren, and any original content that I make her do or say. That is all."

* * *

Chapter 2

When Alex sees Rick again later on, he's coming into the dining hall where Jonathon and three other men are sitting around a table playing cards. Rick glances at them, a slight look of disappointment on his face to see Evie's brother still trying to hustle others, and probably failing at it too.

Then he spots her, standing off to the side, leaning against one of the beams holding up the floor above them. Coming to her side, he asks, "You always keeping an eye on him?" "He always needs it. Otherwise, he could very well wind up dead one day." Rick nods and then grins while asking, "How many strikes do I have at this point by the way?" "I think we can forget the whole 'strikes' thing. I was only doing that to get a sense of who you were."

Tilting his head, he asks, "And?" Alex just grins, "I see us becoming rather good friends, Mr. O'Connell." He nods and smiles back before saying, "Good. I could use some friends. The last one I had abandoned me back in Hamunaptra."

Alex frowns at that, "Not a very good friend. You'll have much better luck with me." "And why in particular do you say that?" "Because I don't leave anybody behind that matters to me." "And I matter?" "You will."

He smirks at her confidence in that answer, and then turns when Jonathon invites him into the game. "No, I only gamble with my life, never my money." Alex smiles and says from beside him, "See? More and more in common by the second." He grins at her, and then turns to the gentleman who asks him if he'll bet $500 on them getting to Hamunaptra before their group.

Rick first turns to Alex and asks, "They're looking for Hamunaptra?" She nods, unhappily so, and Rick can hear the irritation in her voice when she adds, "Apparently." Raising an eyebrow, knowing it definitely wasn't her, Rick then adds, "And who says we are?" Alex looks pointedly at Jonathon in answer, who has the sense to look a bit ashamed at his big mouth. Rick gives him a hard look too, but then turns to the men and says with a calm smile, "Alright, you're on."

From a table nearby, a skinnier man who reeks of expensive perfumes asks, "What makes you so confident sir?" And now that Alex has heard him, she rolls her eyes at his tone of voice. It also reeks, of pride and self-importance. She honestly hadn't given this guy a whole lot of thought at first, considering he was by himself, and didn't really appear to be apart of the group of Americans that Jonathon was playing with. But she was paying attention to him now. And Alex decides immediately that she doesn't like him. She's honestly not too fond of these other cowboys either, but the man with the little red cap… she definitely doesn't like him.

But she relaxes a little when Rick simply asks the man in return, without giving anything away, "What makes you?" One of the men at the table, another one with a big mouth, says, "Well, we got us a man who's actually been there."

Jonathon perks up, about to talk again. And obviously, about to reveal that they had their own personal guide to Hamunaptra. Alex starts counting backwards from ten in her head. Sometimes, it was really hard to love her cousin. But her demeanor cools back down immediately when Rick, seeing the problem about to happen, slings his bag up and knocks Jonathon in the shoulder hard. His response to the hard knock is to instantly stop blabbing, giving Alex another sheepish look before attempting to return to his game.

Rick grins when Alex nods to him in approval, a hidden thumbs up at her side telling him she was impressed. Then he says to the others, "Gentlemen, we got us a wager. Good evening. Jonathon..." And Alex has to cover her mouth for a moment to hide her laughter as Jonathon winces when Rick squeezes his shoulder hard in warning. He'd already let slip that they were looking for Hamunaptra when he shouldn't have. If Jonathan opened his big mouth again, worse consequences would obviously follow. And as Jonathon glances at Alex again, he could already tell that she wouldn't be the one stopping Rick from beating the crap out of him if he didn't learn to zip it. Because honestly, if Rick didn't punch him for it, then Alex would eventually do it herself.

As Rick prepares to walk away though, Alex pats Jonathon on his still good shoulder gently. Her smile is endearing, even if she was still a little miffed that he'd spilled the beans on where they were going. Then she glances back at the table, "I'm going to trust you to behave yourself for the rest of the night. See you later." Jonathon nods that he will and responds, "Alright. Night, Alex."

Catching up with Rick, she pats him on the back, "Oh yeah, we're definitely friends." "And what did I do so impressively now?" "Made Jonathon shut up. I'm usually the only one who can do that. And sometimes it's a stretch even for me." Rick grins and asks, "What about the other one? Evelyn. She a trouble maker?" "Only for herself really, and not so much. She's had a few mishaps at the place she works, but nothing major. She's the level-headed one out of the three of us." "And you aren't?"

Alex shrugs, "I'm level-headed where it counts. Not so much on being brilliantly book smart or anything like that though. That's all Evie." "Right. And she got me down?" "Yep. Bargaining away twenty-five percent of whatever we find here to the warden. Don't know if you saw him climb aboard, but that's why he's here. 'Protecting his investment', as he called it."

Rick nods and then pauses when Alex suddenly stops walking. At her concerned face, he asks, "What?" But she's honestly not sure how to answer him. She'd never really been able to explain how she did this. She just... sometimes she knew when bad things were about to happen. Not always. She didn't believe in sixth senses. It's why she was always watching the room or place around them. She didn't want to feel the hair on the back of her neck stand up, and then not know why. She wanted to see the threat coming before it was close enough to cause that kind of reaction. But sometimes, on occasion... she could just feel in her bones that something was not right.

But she didn't know how to explain to Rick that she knew something was wrong, when there was clearly nothing in front of them or behind them to suggest such a thing. Finally, she just shakes her head, and asks him, "You ever just get the feeling that something bad is about to happen?" He raises an eyebrow at her, and then asks, "Should I be worried?" "No idea. I'm gonna have a look around. I'll get back to you on it." As she prepares to walk away though, she pauses and turns back to him. And Rick's confused expression turns serious when he sees the very real worry on her face. She was trying to remain calm, and it wasn't like she was panicking or anything. But... something definitely had her spooked at the moment.

He thought for a moment that she would ask him to accompany her. And he honestly would have, in favor of helping her figure out if something actually was wrong on this ship. But to his surprise, she doesn't ask him to help her. She asks, "Do me a favor though? Find Evie. She's probably alone on one side of the ship or the other, reading a book."

She guarded them like a sentry when she was near them. He'd already seen that. But since she wasn't going to be able to, she was trying to put a body with Evie, so she'd have someone to watch her if something actually was wrong. It was the only thing she cared about right now. It was the real reason she looked so worried, because she couldn't locate the problem, and protect Evie all at the same time.

Maybe he'd ask Evelyn if Alex was always this overprotective of them. But for now, he nods that he'll find her cousin while asking, "And when I find her? What exactly do you want me to do?" "Just make sure she's not alone for a while. At least until I'm certain that my feeling is just that. A feeling and nothing more." Rick nods and then watches her walk off towards the other end of the ship, clearly not as concerned now that she knew Rick would be watching Evie. And as he watched her clearing corners as she went further up the hall, he can't help shaking his head as he smiles a little, "Definitely too much like me. She could be my sister." And with that, he heads off to try and find Evie, eventually finding her just where Alex thought she might be. Alone and reading a book.

* * *

When Alex comes back from her sweep of the ship and sees Evie and Rick still sitting together, conversing and getting to know each other over top of Rick's massive supply of weapons, she grins a little before heading in the other direction to have a drink and watch out over the water for a while. She still has a bad feeling, though for now she has no idea why. She couldn't find anything or anyone else on board that she hadn't already seen, save for one scrawny fellow who seemed to be looking over his shoulder at every turn. But he hardly seemed like a real threat. Certainly not the one nagging at the back of her mind.

It's as she's finishing the last swallow of her drink that she finally sees _them_ approaching. Not already on the boat, but on their way to it. In the dark of the night, they're near impossible to see without a flashlight or something. But Alex sees them, her eyes suddenly drawn towards them as though some unseen person had turned her head to look in that direction. And there they were. Men dressed in solid black, in paddle boats coming up alongside the ship.

Alex ponders briefly the idea just sounding an alarm or taking out her own gun and daggers and trying to be rid of them quickly without making a scene. But a quick look tells her there's entirely too many of them for her to attempt that. At least three to four boats, each filled to hold as many men as possible, made for at least thirty to forty men about to join them on board. And Alex was always up for a challenge... but those odds definitely weren't in her favor. Not if she wanted to get Evie, Jonathon, and Rick off the boat safely before these men could do anything to them. So instead of waiting to fight them, she hurries back to her quarters to gather a bag of her supplies and equipment, and then goes to look for Evie in her room. Hopefully, by this point, her cousin had started trying to retire for the evening, which would make her easier to find.

She'd no sooner thought that though, then she meets Rick halfway down the hall towards Evie's room. Letting Alex go in front of him, clearing the door on the right as she checked the one on the left, he then says, "I think I know why you were having a bad feeling earlier." "You saw the boats?" "Saw the footprints they made with their wet boots after they got on board." "Shit. Where's Evie?" "Went to her room I believe. It's where I'm heading. You?" "Same. And your guns?" "Loaded and ready." "Good."

When they get to her door, Alex steps back and says, "After you." Rick nods, two guns already out and ready for what they might find. Then he kicks the door in and shouts, "Evelyn!" Evie's brief relief at seeing him ended when the man in black grabbed from behind. He puts her in front of him like a shield, some different and curved sort of knife in his hand that he holds to her throat. And Evie winces a bit, worry clearly written on her face.

But as Alex enters the room, Rick decides he doesn't need to ask Evie if she was always so overprotective of them. Because the minute Evie sees her step in, her entire body relaxes a little in relief. His guns are still trained on the man holding Evie, but he can't help glancing over to see if Alex was doing anything in particular that made it seem like she had the upper hand. But no... she was just standing there for right now, glaring at the man who had Evie in his hands. For all intents and purposes, except for the dagger Alex had in her hand right now, she didn't look all that threatening to Rick. She simply looked calm, stoic, and at ease in the situation. The only part of her that gave way to the anger she clearly felt, were her narrowed eyes that seemed to continuously darken the longer the man kept his hands on her cousin.

To Rick, it didn't make much sense. There was a knife at Evie's throat. She was still being held captive, essentially a hostage at this point. And yet, she looked like she already knew she'd be perfectly fine in the end. All because Alex was in the same room as her.

For her part, Alex doesn't care if anyone else in the room understands just how dangerous she actually is. Glaring at the man holding Evie, she then taps Rick's shoulder and says, "Window." Rick sees the flames of the candles on the table flicker as wind began coming in to worry them. Nodding, he turns his guns in that direction, "I see it."

He shoots the man in black that had been about to burst through and enter with God only knows what kinds of weapons. And then Evie, to Alex's joy, grabs the candle from the table as the man tries to move around the room, dragging Evie with him. But Evie brings the candle up and back and stabs the man in the face with it. She hits him near his eye, but as he screams and still refuses to let go, Alex simply says, "Breathe."

Evie holds herself as still as possible, continuing to breathe as normally as she can, and just waits. And in a flash of movement that Rick can't even begin to follow with his eyes, suddenly the dagger that had been in Alex's hand is now across the room, lodged into the wrist of the man who had been holding Evie. He has no choice but to let go after that, at which point Evie sprints across the room and into Alex's arms.

Rick knows they don't have time for hugs and things. And he knows that Alex knows that too. But he's still surprised when Evelyn doesn't seem offended at all when Alex doesn't hug her back. She simply shoves Evie behind her, and then behind Rick while ordering, "Get her out of here!" He nods to her, and then glances at Evie before saying, "Stay on me. Let's go."

Alex hears him blow holes into another man before he and Evie begin hurrying back down the hall. Certain that Evelyn will be fine so long as she stays with Rick, Alex approaches the man know bleeding from his useless right hand. Glaring at him, even if he can only look at her with one good eye, she says, "Using my cousin as a human shield? Not cool my friend. Not cool."

Then Alex hears Evie shout something about forgetting the map, and she briefly worries that her cousin might actually try to come back and get it. But Rick grabs her and says, "Relax. I'm the map. It's all up here."

Content with that, now knowing she didn't really have to fight to get the piece of parchment back, Alex is about to just leave, picking up one of the swords that had been dropped on the ground earlier. Her other supplies still on her shoulders, she would've walked out and simply let the room go up in flames. But that's when the man finally stops screaming in pain and shouts, "The key!"

And then Alex hears Jonathon's voice ask worriedly, "Evie?"

Already seeing what's about to happen, Alex rolls her eyes, "Christ! You have the worst timing ever!" Jonathon practically shoves the man in black down onto the key as he comes barging into the room. And though he tries to grab the puzzle box back, there is no arguing with the blade that touches down onto it, effectively claiming 'the key' from Jonathon's grasp. Of course, the man with the key is also on fire now from when Jonathon shoved him, but he still managed to grab the key.

It was impressive... the level of dedication this man clearly had to fulfilling whatever mission he was on. And if Alex weren't so concerned with why their tiny little box should matter so much, she might've even tried to tell him that as he began trying to run towards them, still on fire. But... disappointed as Evie might be at losing the thing, the puzzle box was not very important to her. If she were alone, sure, she would've tried to get it back for her. But she wasn't alone. And by consequence, getting Jonathon out of here and out of harms way was a hell of a lot more important than some stupid little box. So instead, she grabs Johnathon, shoving him out of the room as she shouts, "Move!" At her command, he doesn't hesitate, and takes off down the hall. And though she tried to remain right behind him, Alex barely missed being sliced through at the middle by the man on fire who is still coming after them. Glancing at Jonathon, she yells, "Get the hell out of here!" And then she takes off in another direction, leading the burning man a little ways before darting around enough corners to lose him.

She was going to check over the sides of the boat, seeing if she could tell if Evie or Jonathon or Rick were already in the water. But that's when she runs into another man dressed in black, a sword already in his hand. He looks like he's older, more experienced than the rest she's encountered on her journey through the ship thus far. He makes to come straight toward her, even amidst the fire and all the other sound around them. But she can still see the surprise in his eyes when, rather than run, she simply twirls the sword that she still has in her hand and says, "Alright. Let's go then."

And as their swords clash, the man's surprise increases tenfold, before he takes a step back to look at her with new eyes. All the other women on this ship had obviously run from him. Most probably screamed at the sight of him. Hell, he'd probably done raids like this a thousand times before, and gotten the same reaction every single time. But not this time. Alex watches him with the eyes of a hawk, sword held in hand, wrist loose, waiting to see what his next step will be so she can react in kind.

He takes one step to the right, watching with his own careful eyes as she counters his step with one of her own. He holds his sword to the other side, and she moves hers across her body, prepared to handle whatever blow he might try to deliver from that angle. And for a moment, he debates if he wants to take the time to actually see if she will be a challenge for him or not, There were not even very many of the men in his own group, who posed a challenge to his own talents.

And in all honesty, his curiosity at this strange woman before him got the best of him. And as their swords clashed again, he couldn't help but grin behind the mask over his mouth. Back and forth they go, blow for blow being matched between them. He manages a small graze to her shoulder, barely even nicking her really. but in so doing, she managed to cut him at his thigh, and she did so considerably deeper than he had cut her.

Eventually, they end up on the other end of the boat, their battle taking them from stern to bow. And as they reach a momentary stand still in their intense battle, he nods to her and says, "You know the ways of the sword." Alex looks up at him for a moment, and a he pulls the lower half of his mask from his face, she can read the honest admiration on his face. Nodding back to him after a moment, she says, "So do you." He actually smiles a bit, because this was rare indeed. A certain respect between swordsman was a thing to be admired, and in today's world, and thing rarely found. But here were two masters of the blade, complimenting each other on their skill, and allowing a moment of peace to settle between them, before they went back in for more.

Alex offers him a slight grin back, and then twirls her sword in her hand, signaling that she was ready to continue if he was. He returned the gesture in kind, and with a resounding clash, they return to their one-on-one battle. Which honestly, Alex is willing to admit, seems a bit ridiculous to be having when the ship was burning and definitely on it's way to sinking into the water.

But seriously, when were either of them going to find an opportunity like this again?

Meanwhile, from within the paddle boats still waiting nearby, one of the men in black points out, "Look. Someone is giving Havar a run for his money."

Ardeth, who was the leader of this particular tribe of Medjai, looks up to see a young woman spinning around and blocking another blow from Havar's sword, and then delivering one of her own that was blocked in return. And if it had been anyone else she was fighting, it might still have been impressive. But since it was Havar... well, Ardeth knew that practically all of his men would be watching with their mouths agape as this woman actually gave Havar as good a fight as he could give on his own.

Their battle continues a while longer, until Alex finally takes several steps away from him. Amidst their fighting, she'd managed to catch a glimpse of Evie and the others already on the shore. So her reason for remaining on this ship at all was gone. Aside from this excellent fight, she didn't need to be hear.

Havar watches as she holds up both hands, her sword no longer in a fighting gesture, but in one signaling that she would like to be finished. Shrugging, she says, "I mean, it's kind of up to you. But this thing's still sinking, and I don't think this would be nearly as much fun beneath the water." Havar grins a bit, and then lowers his own sword to his side. Then does something that none of the Medjai had ever seen him do before. The elder man bows to Alex in respect to what he believes was finally a worthy opponent. And to Ardeth's intrigue, the woman aboard returns the gesture back to him in kind, before she takes off with her bags still on her shoulders, quickly crossing the ship and jumping into the water after her family.

On the shore, Evie was just beginning to complain about the loss of her clothes, when Alex tossed one of the bags she'd been carrying with her in Evie's direction. "I grabbed what I could. Some of it is probably burnt. It should at least carry over until tomorrow when we can find a market and purchase more supplies."

Evelyn is so thrilled that she doesn't care that Alex is still soaked to the bone from having just arrived. She wraps her in a tight hug and says, "Thank you!" Alex nods, and then looks to Jonathon as he says, "See. Things are looking up. I managed to still save the little puzzle box. Alex saved some of your clothes. Rick has his guns. We'll be alright Evie."

Rick nods in agreement, and then gestures to Alex's cut sleeve. "You alright?" "I'm fine, it's just the shirt really. Nothing some rest won't fix by morning." He nods and then says, "Thought we'd lost you for a minute there, to be honest. Took you a while." "Yeah, I got caught up in an intense sword fight." "You win?" "It ended in a draw."

He stares at her for a moment, until she shrugs and simply says, "He was good. So was I. And rather than be stupid and just wait until we both eventually drowned on a sinking ship, we opted for parting ways. Though it is an uncommon opinion for some to grasp, there is still something to be said about respecting and honoring your opponent." "You are literally the strangest woman I've ever met. Aside from your cousin, of course." Alex just grins, "Obviously. Being strange is all part of my charm. You'll get used to it."

Rick finally just chuckles at her, some of the tension finally being released. Though he can't help pulling her aside for a moment and commenting, "Also... should I be concerned that Evie and Jonathon weren't concerned in the slightest that you didn't get here sooner. I was worried you were drowning or something, but they were just standing here, calmly waiting for you to show up." Alex shrugs, and then grins when Evie says from nearby, "Alex always shows up. I mean, she's not invincible. But if Jonathon managed to get himself here, then Alex was most certainly going to make it."

Rick raises an eyebrow, but turns back to Alex when she puts a hand on his shoulder. Shrugging again, she says, "I'm a survivor. Like you. Gonna take a lot more than a burning ship and some creepy guys dressed in black to take me out." He just shakes his head at her, and repeats from before, "Strangest woman I've ever met. Ever." "Thank you, I'm flattered."

He laughs, and then glances across to the other side of the river when the little scrawny man Alex had seen earlier shouts over to Rick that it looks like he will be keeping all of the horses. Rick simply hollers back, not the least bit intimidated, "Hey Beni! Looks to me like you're on the wrong side of the river!" And as the little man kicks at the water in aggravation, Alex smirks, "Nice. And who is he?" "Guy who abandoned me to die in Hamunaptra." Alex's smirk turns to a deep frown, and she lifts a dagger from her belt and asks, "Want me to take care of him?" "First of all, no. I can handle Beni. Second of all, how would you even do that from over here?" "Did you not see me take out the guy that was holding Evie hostage. I'm like Robin Freaking Hood. Except with daggers, though I'm pretty deadly with arrows too. Just say the word, and he will find a dagger between his eyes before he can so much as blink and try to lean out of the way."

He stares at her for a moment, before then turning to Evie to see what she has to say to that. But both her and Jonathon just shrug, as though Alex threatening to kill someone, or the fact that she could do it in the dark and across a giant-ass river, was not surprising at all.

Alex was certainly going to be something to get used to. That was a fact at this point. But as he watches her help Evelyn and John set up places to sleep for the night, tending to them with a gentle care that seemed so opposite of her ability to kill a man with a knife from across the water... he couldn't help but smile. He'd have to take time to get used to her. But something told him it would definitely be worth it.

* * *

It doesn't escape Alex's attention the next day, after Evie gets all dressed up in her new clothes, that Rick just stares at her for a minute before commenting, "Awfully." Alex just grinned and shook her head before taking the batch of black material that Evie had gotten for her as well. "It'll be better for out here in this place." Alex nods, "Yeah. I'll wear some of it when we get there. I'm good for now."

Evie worries for a moment that Alex doesn't even like the clothes, but then watches as she carefully puts them in one of her bags. She knows it wasn't exactly what Alex would've preferred. The shirt was more dressy, almost matching the top of her dress she, herself, was wearing. She had managed to find a pair of loose fitting black pants rather than another long skirt like herself. Not to mention the tights underneath would make Alex feel better about the whole ensemble too. But... well, she'd still worried that Alex simply wouldn't want to wear the clothes at all. But Alex didn't pack clothes carefully unless she actually liked them, or at the very least, didn't hate them. So with a smile on her face, Evie lets Rick help her onto one of the camels, and then beams at Alex before saying, "I've never been so excited in my whole life!" Alex just laughs, "Well, save some of it for when we get there." "Right."

As they begin their trek through the desert after that, Alex smiles as Rick sticks close to Evie, keeping a watch on her and then making sure she stays upright on her camel as she sleeps during the night. Though Alex had only told him to join her last night because she'd had a bad feeling, he was still keeping pretty close to her. And she knows part of that is out of the mutual respect they already have for each other. Evie was one of Alex's top priorities. Then came Jonathon. So, whenever he could, Rick would try to help keep his eyes on one of them so Alex could focus more fully on the other.

Still, there is definitely potential for something more there between those two. Which she knows is the other part of why he's choosing to stick close to Evie. He'd obviously help protect Jonathon too, if that was needed. But his preference was to be near Evelyn.

Alex decides that she'll have to see if she can't maybe help the spark between them grow in time. Not that she's a matchmaker by any means. But Evie does deserve someone great who will look after her and protect her. And as Rick carefully pulls her shawl up over her shoulder again so she doesn't get cold, it further affirms in Alex's mind that Rick could definitely be that person.

Her thoughts pertaining to that particular line of planning are brought to an end when she sees Rick suddenly jerk his head to the side, his gaze focusing on something in the distance now. Pulling up beside him, she asks, "What's wrong?" "I've seen them before. And they're the ones who attacked the boat."

She turns to look, and sees the slew of figures on the cliff nearby, clearly watching them make their way across the desert. Glaring in their direction, she touches the gun she's now holstered at her hip and asks, "Should we try to go faster and avoid them or figure out how to get to them and attack first?"

At Rick's grin and the shaking of his head, she smirks a little, but then he says, "Neither actually. If they were going to attack us, they would've done it by now. And we probably would've never seen them coming." "Great. Just one more thing to worry about." "And what exactly is the other?" "Oh, there's a whole slew of things to worry about it. Cursed city of the dead is one. Money-grubbing Americans from Texas would be a second. And let's not forget our smelly and disgusting friend who is here to protect his twenty-five percent investment."

Rick chuckles, "Damn. I wasn't aware we had so many problems." "Yeah, well, someone has to keep an eye on these problems. Otherwise when something does come up to try and bite us in the ass, we won't be ready to stop it."

Rick looks at her again, amusement alight in his eyes. But then, on a more serious note, he asks, "You always taking care of them and watching over them?" She glances up at him, and then at her two cousins who are fast asleep. Smiling at them both, she says, "They're all I have left in this world. Without them… I don't even know what I'd be living for anymore."

She sees Rick nod in understanding, and then he comments, "Evie certainly seems high-spirited." "She is, though she's rarely given the opportunity to express any of that. The curator has kept her bottled up at the library for years. And she's good at what she does. You know… all that translating and organizing and cataloging and stuff like that. Still though… this is like a dream come true for her. To actually be able to get out here and do this for herself."

Rick then asks, "And why are you here?" "I'm here because they're here, obviously. Evie can sometimes get in a little over her head. She's very much the brains of this operation. I'm the brawn. Not that you aren't as well… but with Jonathon also tagging along, it's probably going to take the two of us to keep all four of us alive out here." "Don't you mean five?"

Alex glances sideways at him, knowing he's talking about the warden who is currently still travelling with them. And it's not like she'd just abandon his ass needlessly if he was in trouble. But if it came down to choosing between him and any of the other three, the choice wouldn't be hard to make. With that in mind, she raises an eyebrow at Rick before saying, "No." He laughs outright, "You're right. We're going to be good friends." "I quite agree."

Meanwhile, from the top of the cliff, Havar says to Ardeth, "The spirited one rides with them." Ardeth nods, currently looking through a telescope to see the individuals of this group more closely. And yes, the spirited young lady that had fought Havar on the boat was riding in this party. Then Ardeth adds, "So does the strong one. For he survived the desert and managed to make his way to Cairo. That journey is not easy on any man."

Havar asks, "So what do we do?" Ardeth watches their little group a moment more, finding himself both wary of their intentions… and yet, also intrigued. He knew Havar was a hard man to impress. And people who were usually so skilled with the sword, but also not conceited in their talent, were hard to come by these days. But the young woman traveling with them, who had conceded to let the fight end in a draw with a worthy opponent… well, she was something else indeed.

So rather than try to contemplate how to make them turn back from their course, Ardeth nods and says gently, "We wait."

* * *

When Evie and the others finally reach a meeting point where they regroup with the Americans that are being led by Beni, Alex gives the scrawny little man a cold glare before whispering to O'Connell, "Just say the word, and I'll neuter him in his sleep." Rick grins at the offer, even though he knows she's at least half-serious about it, and then says, "I'll bear it in mind."

He then turns to Evie and says, "Get ready for it." "For what?" He nods towards what looks like a vast empty desert and says, "We're about to be shown the way."

And as the sun finishes rising over the horizon, the city of Hamunaptra just seems to materialize, as though by magic, out of the sand and thin air where there had once seemed to be nothing. Even Alex gapes at it in awe and surprise. And then she turns to Rick when he says on a sigh, "Here we go again." And then he grins when Alex comments, "Great. Nothing very good ever comes after someone says that."

* * *

And here's Chapter 2!

At this point, and I'll put a reminder in when we get there, but I want to point out that, yes, I named my character Alex. I did that before I realized I wanted to write the story for the first two movies of the Mummy, and not just the first one. So in my story, because I don't want to change my character's name, Rick and Evie's son is going to be called Jason. So, that's just a heads up. :)


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: "I do not own any part of the Mummy franchise. Wish I did, because those first two movies were awesome. But I don't. All credit for quotes and scenes taken from the movie, go to the writers, producers, directors, etc. I own only Alexandra Taren, and any original content that I make her do or say. That is all."

* * *

Chapter 3

Evie won the five-hundred dollars, to which the Americans weren't at all pleased. But a bet's a bet, and they coughed over the money to Rick, who promptly gave it to Evie and then gave Jonathon's shoulder another hard squeeze when he complained that Evie hadn't even been on in the bet. Alex just shakes her head in amusement at her cousin, and then wraps an arm around Evie as they set off to find a location to set up camp for themselves. In her own opinion, the further away from the Americans and Beni, the better.

After that, no time was wasted in getting started looking for the location of the book that Evie was so keen to find. Alex was helping Rick tie off a rope so they could head down beneath a large statue and into the world beneath all this sand. And Alex can't help smirking when as Rick continuously hit the warden in the head as he looped the rope around and around to make a sturdy knot.

And then she grinned again when, as Evie was working with a mirror nearby them, Rick walked up on the pretense of asking her a question. He didn't really care what the mirrors did at this point, though he's sure he'll be intrigued when he figures out what it is. He just wanted to hand her the kit of tools that he'd stolen from Burns. Alex had managed to salvage a lot of Evie's clothes and books and things. But archeological tools such as these, Alex hadn't had time to grab. So Rick had 'acquired' some for her.

Alex doesn't even care that he took them from one of the Americans. She doesn't like them anyway. She's just happy that Rick is, in part, making his affections for her known. A man who didn't care about her at all, wouldn't already be aware that the tools in that little case would make her smile ear to ear. And of course, Rick let slip that he thought she would 'like' them… before then correcting himself to say that he figured she'd need them for what she was going to try and do.

At this rate, she wouldn't have to do anything to help those two along. She'd still find a way to make sure they sat next to each other around the fire at night. But aside from that, it looked like they were going to become a quite the pair all on their own.

As Rick comes back towards the hole, he catches sight of Alex's grin. Scaring off the warden, who had been watching him for a moment as he gave the tools to Evie, he then asks Alex, " And what do you find so amusing?" "Nothing. I'm just wondering when Burns is going to find out his tools are missing."

Rick flushes a little, and then scratches the back of his neck before asking, "Do you think…" But before he can finish, Alex pats him on the back, "Let her keep them. Even if Burns does try to claim them back, I'll stand by you and threaten to shoot him over it." Rick just grins at her, growing more accustomed to her overprotective attitude by the minute. Sure, it had only been a couple of days since the ship wreck, since he'd first seen how extreme her protective nature could be. But… he supposes when you're on the receiving end of that protection, you find it easier to get used to.

He was also smiling because, based on her words, it appeared he already had her approval as far as any relationship he might try to have with Evie went. And something told him having Alex's approval was going to carry a lot of weight in Evie's opinion. Glancing to her again, he asks, "By the way… do you have any idea what these mirrors are for?" Alex shrugs, and then jabs a thumb towards Evie's direction, "Like I said. She's the brains. But don't worry. She'll either let us know if it's important, or just show us when she's ready." Rick nods, and then grabs the rope leading down into the hole and swings down inside.

Evie glances down into it warily after he's on the ground inside. Not because of the room, but because of the rope itself. Alex nudges her gently and says, "Don't worry. Rick knows what he's doing with this stuff. And I helped him tie off the rope, so that should make you feel loads safer." Jonathon chuckles as Evie grins, and then Alex grabs the rope and rolls her eyes when the warden says, "Look for bugs. I hate bugs."

Once she's on the ground, Alex mutters to herself, "Yeah, I'll make sure to keep that in mind. Because looking out for all the things you hate is definitely the biggest concern of mine." Rick grins at her, and then as Evie gets close enough to them, he wraps his hands around her waist. Setting her on the ground, he nods to her when she says, "Thanks."

Alex grins at the blush on Evie's cheeks, and then holds her hands up in a surrendering gesture when Evie points and says, "Not a word out of you." "I didn't say anything." "You were thinking something." "Good to know something's going on up there." Evie finally laughs while rolling her eyes, and then moves across the room to find another one of those fancy mirrors. Tilting it, she says, "And then there was light."

And as it catches the light from the one up above, it quickly reflects the sunlight to another mirror, and then another mirror. The once dark room is swiftly filled with light for them to see by, rather than just the torches they'd brought with them. Rick glances around, and then says, "Huh… that is a neat trick."

Evie grins, and then glances around before exclaiming about this place being… well, Alex has no clue what the first word she said is. Just that this is a place for being prepared to enter the afterlife. And as Jonathon lights his torch with the one Rick is already holding, he explains further, "Mummies, my good man. This is where they made the mummies."

Which, as fun as all that sounds, they quickly leave this room, following Evie's instructions, so they can find quickly get a move on and find the book she's after.

As they're heading down a stone passage, everyone pauses as they hear the sound of skittering and crawling all around them. Like it was coming from behind the walls almost. Silence then envelops them, until the warden asks, "What was that?" Alex shrugs, glancing at Evie to see if she knows.

But then she can't help the giant grin from crossing her face when Rick says, "Sounds like… bugs." He winks at Alex, before continuing to lead the way. And then she has to cover her mouth to prevent her laughter from getting out when she hears Evie turn around to inform the warden, "He said bugs!" "What do you mean bugs? I hate bugs!"

Then, finally, they find the statue. And gigantic stone man with the head of a dog. Evie claps her hands together once in excitement, grinning when Alex rubs an affectionate hand up and down her back before saying, "Alright. Let's get cracking."

But just as they're about to get started, they hear a load of voices and steps coming from around a corner. Grabbing her gun, Alex gets on the other side of Evie immediately. Rick hands back his torch her, and then looks to Alex and says, "On my six." "Got it." He grips his own guns in his hands, and then motions for Evie and Jonathon to press against the wall beside them while he prepares to turn the corner. Glancing at Alex again, who nods that she's ready, he creeps towards the corner, counting down in his head when it would be best to turn and see what the hell is there. And Alex, for her part, simply waits for him to make the first move. Then, as he jerks around and stays tight on the corner, Alex brings herself up right next to him, her own gun up and immediately aiming at one of the faces that come up before her.

Seeing that it's the Americans doesn't exactly make Alex feel like re-holstering her weapon. But as Rick begins lowering his, she follows suit. One of the men in their group lets out a huff, "You scared the bejesus out of us O'Connell." "Likewise." Then another one, with extremely short black hair, looks to her and says with a smirk, "What about you, baby? We frighten you?"

Alex has honestly gone to ignoring them, putting her gun back at her hip. But Evie, offended at the idea that they thought her cousin could be intimidated by the likes of them, states firmly, "Alex isn't afraid of anything."

Alex just puts a gentle hand to Evie's back, trying to calm her, and then shrugs when Rick raises an eyebrow. Because obviously, Alex wasn't arguing against what Evie was saying. Okay, so it might not be completely accurate. She had some fears. But a bunch of Americans, waving their guns around, talking smack… yeah, that was at the top of the list of things that would never frighten her.

Proven when Burns, after a moment of looking at them, comments to Evie, "Hey. That's my tool kit." And true to her word, Alex's gun snaps back up and she says, "I don't think so." Burns' eyes widen at the barrel pointed between his eyes, already cocked back and ready to fire faster than he'd imagined she was capable. Stammering a bit, he says, "Okay… perhaps I was mistaken."

Evie clutches her new kit close and then says, "Well, have a nice day gentleman. We have quite a lot of work to be getting along with." "Push off!" The Egyptologist exclaims and then adds, "This is our dig site!" Alex switches her gun to him, "Funny. I didn't know you owned the city of the dead." Evie glares and adds, "We got here first."

All guns raise again, and then Daniels, the one who had asked if Alex was frightened, says, "This here is our dig sight friend." But Rick simply comes back with, "I don't see your name written on it, pal."

And then, when Beni points out that Rick's odds aren't so great, Alex switches her gun to point at him instead of Burns. Rick smirks at the action that causes Beni to shrink back, Alex's now cold eyes seemingly making him shrivel up into himself. Then Rick replies to his old friend, "I've had worse odds." Alex nods and comments offhandedly, "Me too." And before Rick can worry about what that means, Jonathon adds, "Yeah, me too."

Both give him a funny look, though he nods to assure them that he's serious. Then Evie comes up, seemingly innocent in her intentions, and says, "Oh look, for goodness sake, let's be nice, children. If we're going to play together we must learn to share." Putting her hand on Rick's arm, squeezing his bicep gently, she says, "There are other places to dig."

He stares at her for a second, but then glances at Alex, who is already holstering her weapon again. Back to Evie, he's about to lean down and whisper that he wasn't worried about these guys. He could find a way to let her keep the statue she wanted to search so badly.

Her hand on her arm squeezed again, earnestly asking him to follow her lead on this. So finally, he lowers his guns. Glaring at Beni one last time, he follows after Evie as she leads the way to another hall.

It pleases him, probably more than it should, to see that she wasn't giving up. She was simply coming at this from a new angle. She didn't want anyone getting shot over the book she wanted… no matter how badly she wanted it. So instead of letting them start a shootout over it, she diverted them to a new plan. And now, here they are, in a room that, according to the hieroglyphics, is directly beneath the statue of Anubis.

As Rick starts working on digging between Anubis' legs, Alex nudges Evie and asks teasingly, "Thought he wouldn't listen if you didn't give him a tender little push in the right direction." Evie blushes, but then comments shyly, "He seems… I mean, you two… you seem…"

Alex grins teasingly for a moment, but knows that she needs to nip that idea in the bud real quick. Because if Evie thought for a second that Alex might like Rick the same way that she did… well, Evie might simply not try to go for him. Not to mention if she thought that Rick liked Alex, she wouldn't try then either. Putting an arm around her cousin, Alex explains, "He's a good man, and I can see us being friends. But he is not for me." Evie nods, and then blushes deeper when Alex remarks, "Which means he's all yours. Besides, I'm not the one he stole a little excavation kit for." "Oh, shut up."

Alex laughs, and then moves to Rick's side and says, "Give me something. Maybe I can help." "Jonathon, give her the hoe." As Jonathon hands it over to her, he asks, "Hey, where'd our smelly little friend get off to?" Alex shrugs as she starts helping to dig underneath Anubis' statue, "All the better in my opinion if he stays away. His odor is pungent. It probably attracts every single kind of scavenging creature this place has to offer. And if it can be helped, I'd rather avoid that." Rick nods in agreement to that, and they both set to work again.

* * *

They're all sitting down later, Jonathon aimlessly golfing rocks at a wall, and the warden still nowhere in sight. Alex is standing against a far wall, which Rick notices once again, that she does quite often. She takes a post at what she deems to be a vantage point in the room, and then proceeds to survey the entire room from there. Regardless of the fact that, at least hopefully, they aren't in any kind of danger or expecting any to arrive.

He doesn't see her grin at him though when he engages Evie in conversation about the mummification process. He didn't really care about what the process was. He just cared that Evie cared about it so much. And if she cared about it, then he was interested in it for her sake. Evie beams at him as though the question were a Christmas present, and then proceeds to explain all the different parts of the process.

"So, let me get this straight. They ripped out your guts and stuffed them in jars." And though he put it less eloquently than Evie, she didn't seem to be deterred or put off at all. Instead she simply nodded and says, "And then they take out your heart as well. Oh! And do you know how they took out your brains?"

Jonathon comments that it's not really crucial information, but Rick simply turns his attention back to Evie to listen to her explain that they use a red-hot poker to scramble it all around and pull it out of the dead person's nose.

And Alex can't help but laugh when Rick finally comments, "For the record, if I don't make it out of here, don't put me down for mummification." Turning to Alex and grinning, he asks, "And you?" "Definitely not. Sorry Evie." "Oh really, you two! It's not even practiced anymore!" Jonathon simply scoffs and says, "Still, I agree likewise. No mummification for me." And it's as he sends another rock sailing into a nearby wall that a huge-ass coffin literally falls straight out of the ceiling they were just digging in.

Rick is still staring at the huge box that landed just a couple feet in front of him, when he turns and blinks in surprise. Alex had been on the other side of the room, and now suddenly she wasn't. She was in front of Evie, her hands gripping Evie's shoulders, her eyes scanning over her cousin as though looking for even the smallest of blemishes or marks.

And though he wasn't looking directly into her eyes at the moment, from the look he could see in hers, it almost seemed to him that if Evie had been hurt by anything that had just happened, she would somehow find a way to make the sarcophagus pay for it.

Rick had never known anyone so protective of the people they cared for in his whole life. Of course, it hadn't helped that he'd grown up in orphanages in the later part of his childhood, no memory of any parents that might've, at one point, cared for him in that way. Still, he felt that watching Alex's concern for them, something he'd never felt himself before, was a special thing to be able to see and behold.

And then she was looking at him with those same searching eyes, scrutinizing whether or not he had been hurt at all. He gave her a nod to let her know he was fine, a swell of pride filling him with the knowledge that, though he'd only known them a short time, he was already within the realm of Alex's overprotective nature. Her eyes turned to Jonathon for a moment, making sure he was fine too. And then they all turned their attention back to the coffin now lying in the middle of the room.

Evie, shocked at this turn of events, explains to them that he must have either been really important, or done something very naughty. As Evie looks at the top for clues, Alex and Rick dust off where the name should be. Sighing, he asks, "Should we ask her to look at it?" "No, I can read it." "You speak ancient Egyptian?"

She sighs and says, "No. I don't have that part down. But I can read and translate it." She looks down at it and then says worriedly, "He who shall not be named." Evie looks up and comes to them to look at it too. Rick then points out the star-shaped indent on top and says, "This looks like some sort of a lock." Jonathon lets out a huff before saying, "Well, whoever was in there sure wasn't getting out." "Yeah, no kidding. It'd take a month to crack into this thing without a key."

Jonathon smirks and says, "Alex can at least cut that in half." Rick smirks at that, already picking up on the idea of her being good at picking locks. On top of everything else he'd already been told by either Evie or Jonathon that she was capable of doing, he didn't find it that much of a surprise at this point. Though he does turn to her and ask, "So if we ever end up arrested?" "I have three bobby pins in my hair at all times. If I can't manage to pick us out with those three, then we deserve to stay locked up for a while. And I deserve to be ashamed."

Rick was laughing when, finally recollecting what the man on the boat had said, Evie exclaims about him talking about a key. Alex raises an eyebrow and asks, "Who was talking about what?" Jonathon shrugs but Evie says, "The man… the man on the barge! The one with the hook! He kept asking where the key was!"

At seeing the puzzle box in her hands, Jonathon exclaims, "Hey that's mine." Alex gives him a look, "Technically it's Rick's." "Well…" But then Evie fits it into the star-shaped indent of the coffin, and no one else argues about who it belongs too. Alex simply smiles and pats Jonathon on the back before saying, "Teaching you how to pick-pocket is really starting to pay off." "I'll say."

But before they can go any further with their discovery, the warden finally reappears, screaming and running through like a mad man. Yeah, that would've already put an end to the day as it was. But then he also ran straight into a stone wall. And Alex cringed along with Evie as they heard the cracking split that must've been his skull when it met the stone.

All four stare at him, and then Jonathon asks the obvious question, "Is he… dead?" Alex walks up to him, checks for his pulse, and then sighs and says, "Yeah. He's dead." For a moment, no one speaks after that. Then Alex sighs, "Well, shit. How the hell are we supposed to get him back out of here?"

* * *

Rick and Alex handle burying him in the sand, along with three of the Egyptologist's workers. That was what the tinier man in the red cap declared his title was. And yes, he did think it afforded him an air of superiority to the rest of the world around him.

Jackass. But in any case, helping them bury their dead as well is also how they find out what happened to the Americans today. Apparently, a rather impressive Egyptian booby-trap of pressurized salt acid came up before they actually got whatever else it was they were looking for.

When they came back to their own camp site, which Alex is pleased is a considerable distance away from the others, Rick explains it to Evie and Jonathon while she looks out over the landscape beyond them, surveying and trying to scout for danger. She does catch sight of something out there in the darkness. Just a flash… a brief flicker of moonlight bouncing off of something in the desert. But before she can determine whether that's a signal for danger or not, Jonathon gives a short cry of surprise from behind her, which is then followed by Evie's scream of terror.

Jerking around, Alex finds Jonathon pulling out an old bottle of wine from the warden's bag, the broken end of the bottle cutting his hand a bit, which was the reason behind his sudden noise. Sighing, she turns back to the landscape again, trying to relocate the thing she'd seen before. But it had either moved, or it had only been her imagination. Which… well, her imagination was quite inventive sometimes, but she doesn't think that would happen right now. This was the part of the day where they were winding down, not winding back up again.

For now though, since she doesn't see it again in the same spot as before, she goes back to surveying the entirety of what she can see before her. She's still eyeing the vast desert warily when Rick joins her at the post she's picked. Glancing at the darkness with her, he then turns to her and comments, "You're awful quiet." She nods and says somberly, "Death does that to people I suppose." Rick raises an eyebrow, "We didn't really like him." Alex offers a slight grin to that, but adds, "I know. And the world is probably better off without him. Still, I'd rather have a logical explanation for why he died rather than just assume he encountered some cursed object that made him run himself into a wall like a mad man."

Turning to him for a moment, nodding towards Evie and Jonathon, she adds, "And I'm trying to make sure we're in a safe place." Rick nods, and then can't help but ask, "Do they ever take these precautions?" "They have me." "I see. And who looks out for you?" Grinning, she says, "I can take care of myself, Rick. But your concern is noted and appreciated, just like theirs is." At the confused look on his face as he casts a look over at Evie and Jonathon, who are still just sitting around the fire as though nothing else was wrong now, Alex smiles gently. Putting a hand on his shoulder, she says, "I know what you're thinking. You're wondering if they even notice all that I try to do for them. Trust me, they do. They've just learned to show it in different ways."

Rick tilts his head and asks, "Like how?" Alex shrugs, "Evie does all the cooking. I don't actually live with either of them. I have an apartment next to Evie. But every night I end up at her place or she ends up at mine, and she cooks. Not that I can't cook. She just does that for me. And Jonathon… well, he tries to keep himself out of the more terrible kinds of trouble for the most part, which I appreciate. I once had to bust him out of a bar where they were practically holding him hostage because he lost everything and couldn't pay them immediately whatever else he owed. Still not sure if he repaid them completely. Anyway, he doesn't do that anymore."

Rick ponders that a moment, and then asks, "How'd you get him out?" "I went in and kicked the biggest guard's ass. The rest backed off after they figured out I could do that easily enough." "And you weren't arrested for it?" "They actually hired me to be a bouncer for them a week later."

He laughs heartily at that, and Alex grins too before going back to looking out at the desert around them. Shrugging again, she says, "They aren't warriors. The world didn't treat them the same as it did you and I. The only reason they're aware of just how terrible it truly can be, is because I'm part of their lives, and because of the way I behave around them. I know you see their behavior as… a bit odd when it comes to me. And I honestly wish that, at least sometimes, Evie wouldn't look at me and think that just because I'm there, everything is going to be alright again. I'm good at this… but I'm not a miracle worker."

Looking up at him again, Alex shrugs, "But I've kept them safe thus-far. And until my time here on this earth is over, I will continue to do so. And they might not be warriors… but they do understand the toll it takes sometimes, trying to protect someone who understands so little about how truly wicked the world can sometimes be. So… they show their thanks in the best ways they can."

Rick nods after a moment, glancing back at those two again. Then he asks, "You said they were all you have in the world now? Evie and Jonathon? Does that mean you don't have any other family?" Alex looks at him briefly, and then nods, "My parents were murdered when I was just a kid. Evie and Jonathon and their parents were the only other family I had that could take me in."

Smiling though, at the memory of when she'd first arrived, she says, "It was never awkward, like I thought it would be though. I came in and Evie immediately gave me this huge hug and showed me to my room… started telling me I could paint it however I wanted and that she'd help me. And Jonathon was thrilled that I wasn't some prissy girl like he thought his sister was. We wrestled when we were little. I always won, but I could give him pointers on what he was doing wrong, so he took it as more of a lesson than an actual beating."

Rick smiles with her, and then she asks, "And what about you?" "No family anymore. Parents died in a car crash and I was an only child, so no siblings. I went to an orphanage for a while and then got into the Foreign Garrison that eventually brought me here."

Alex nods, and then can't help a small smile as she says, "Well, no matter how hard your journey might've been Rick O'Connell, I am glad that it eventually got you all the way to us." He grins back at her, and then gestures to her in kind, "Likewise. I'd consider it a pity to have never gotten to meet you. The strangest woman I've ever met." "All this flattery is going to go to my head eventually. You know that, right?"

They both laugh, but then jerk up straight and turn they hear a loud ruckus start up on the Americans campsite nearby. Guns begin firing, loud war cries being shouted, and the sounds of steel clashing together.

Looks like their black-dressed friends from the boat had come back to see them again after all. Alex pulls a dagger from her belt, watching as Rick's eyes glance down to it when she twirls it in her hand. Shrugging, she says, "I still don't particularly like them… so allowing them to have all the fun by themselves seems rather unfair to me. Wouldn't you agree?" He cocks his pistol in response, and then hurriedly grabs the shotgun from where he'd left it by the fire. Handing it to Evelyn, he gives her a stern look while saying, "Take this. Stay here." But as Alex follows him, she hears Evie bustling up from her seat as she protests, "Wait! Wait for me. Wait." And Jonathon shouts from behind her, "Evie! Didn't the man just say stay here! Evie!"

Alex turns briefly, Evie drawing up short upon seeing the look in her eyes. Cupping Evie's cheek in her hand, Alex says, "Fight if you must. Get out of the way if you can. And if someone is still stupid enough to try and hurt you, then you'd better fucking holler for me. Understand?" Evie nods instantly, and Alex smiles gently before saying, "Alright. Let's get it done then."

The men in black are on horseback this time, which is probably to be considered an unfair advantage on their part. But Alex supposes they don't really care about that right now. Setting the boat ablaze to burn down wasn't exactly fair either. So they were quite seriously desperate to keep them from getting here. And now that they were here, these men were desperate to make them leave as quickly as possible. I mean… they'd only actually been here for one day. How much trouble could they get into in a single day.

Alex remembers that four people are already dead… so yeah, maybe they could get into a lot. But still…

On horseback or not, Rick shoots several of them off their saddles as soon as he arrives. Alex follows suit from the other side of the camp. That is, until one of the men in black begins approaching her on the ground with a sword in his hands. Diving off to her right, she snatches one up off the ground from where it had been discarded. The swift clash of metal that follows calls Jonathon's attention towards her… along with Havar, who is offering a glare to his comrade that had tried to sneak up and attack her.

It didn't matter that he'd attempted that though. Alex soon has the man backing away while he tries to keep up with the swift movements of her sword with his own. And finally, she flips over to the backside of him, sending a swift strike to the back of his knees. He falls to the ground in a sharp and surprised cry of pain, which calls the attention of some of the other men dressed in black.

Havar isn't sure what they're so surprised about. Aside from Ardeth himself, there weren't many who could handle a sword that actually ever posed a challenge to Havar. And yet this woman did. So there was no reason to be surprised that she'd taken down another one of them with ease. It was not luck that ended their battle on the boat in a draw. It was the skill on both their parts that caused that.

On Alex's part, she isn't paying attention to whether or not anyone else is surprised by her victory. She turns briefly to look at Jonathon, who shouts victoriously for her, "That's my cousin! Woo!"

After which, he then promptly begins running away from another man who, up until now, had managed to remain on his horse. And if that weren't enough, because Jonathon was so focused on the man on horseback, he neglected to realize he was running straight towards another man on the ground with a sword.

Alex did consider herself to be an honorable opponent. She could fight dirty when needed, but she preferred to wait and see if you would do that first. Then, if you were going to fight that way, all bets were off. But still… she does hate the idea of killing a man with a sword by shooting him with her own gun. Seems rather unfair in her opinion.

Then again, life is rarely fair. And if these men expected to survive while she was still here, then they needed to figure out quickly that her cousins were off limits. So, without a single ounce of guilt weighing her down, she pulls out her gun again, and shoots the man on the ground in the head before Jonathon gets close enough to him for it to matter.

Of course, keeping an eye on her cousins more so than she was doing for herself, did have it's disadvantages. For example, because she'd been focused on making sure Jonathon still stayed alive, she was unable to turn around and prepare herself for the man that was now falling on top of her. Rick had taken to handling another of the men on horseback, and in the process of doing so, had knocked him off the other side of his horse. Which, consequently, sent him tackling on top of Alex.

Well… not so much tackled, as he clearly hadn't meant to fall off his horse. But still…

They roll on the ground together until he finally gets the upper hand and pins her beneath him. She glares up at him and tries to punch, but he catches her arms and crosses them over her chest. Gritting her teeth, Alex is fully prepared to just headbutt him. Certainly, she might end up with a headache too. But at least he'd be off of her, and she could get back to keeping an eye on Evie, Jonathon, and Rick.

But she's brought up short when her blue eyes are met with this man's deep brown ones. There was no fight in them right now. Sure, they were in the middle of a battle, and if need-be, he could easily turn around and be up fighting again as quickly as she could. But right now, his eyes simply seemed… well, gentle and patient. So Alex takes a moment to try and assess his body language. And yes, he was preventing her, as well as he could, from fighting back at him right now. But… he also wasn't attacking her. Which he most certainly could've tried to do from his vantage point right now.

Alex didn't particularly like the idea of ending another battle in a draw quite so soon. Particularly with a man whom, in her opinion at this point, was basically cheating. Not that it mattered. She could still win if he suddenly changed his mind and tried to kill her. But… they seriously can't just stay sitting here while everyone else around them continues to try and kill each other. And so…

Ardeth feels her relax slightly in his hands, so he loosens his grip a bit, but still doesn't let go. Which, judging from the narrowing set of her eyes, did not please her in the slightest. But right now, he didn't care. His men were not supposed to be going after her group of people. The Americans are the ones they wanted to leave right away, by any means necessary. Alex and her group, he had different plans on handling. He honestly thought it would be better to send Havar to try and speak with her, and maybe explain that their being here was not safe. On so many levels, it was not safe for them to be here.

But now that they'd joined in the fight with the Americans, they were considered fair game. Letting out an aggravated breath, he surprises her by saying kindly, "You have fire and spirit and a good heart." She blinks at that, and then leans back a bit warily when he leans down closer. But then his voice took on an aggravated edge as he insists, "Stay down."

And before she can comment, he's off of her and charging after Rick again. Leaving her to sit there for a brief moment in a state of stupefaction.

Stay down? Stay down her ass! And who the hell was he to try and tell her to butt out of this fight? A fight that her cousins and Rick were all still very much involved in.

Ardeth turns when hears her moving behind him. Spinning herself so she's back on her feet, she holds herself in a crouch for a moment. Eyes lifting, she glares at him as she rises to stand again, grabbing the sword she'd dropped in their tumble. Twirling it in her hands, she then turns to see a new man approaching her. And rather than wait for him to get to her, she advances on him as well, metal blades clashing together again as the battle continues.

Ardeth makes a mental note that, whoever this woman was, she was not going to be kept out a fight by someone simply telling her to stay down. She obviously understood that, if she did, she would be unharmed. And she didn't care. With that in mind, he returns his attention to the strong man, while also trying to work out in his head how to convince those who could leave, to do so immediately.

It's later, as Rick is about to be taken out by Ardeth, that Alex does get hurt. It looked like Ardeth was going to win the fight, and so Jonathon cried out in dismay at the idea that the man in black was about to kill their new friend. Alex's attention immediately jerked to the sound, trying to locate the cause of her cousin's sudden fear. And when she turned, the blade of her opponent cut into her side. She was still spinning out of the way, avoiding being stabbed and run through altogether. But… she was now bleeding from the cut he'd managed to put in her side.

Alex pays no mind to whether or not he might still try to attack her again when she was so clearly done with him. Watching as the man who'd landed on her raises his sword up to try and deliver a crushing blow, and swiftly pulls out a dagger from her belt and launches it at him.

The fact that his sword is no longer in his hands is surprising enough. But the fact that a simple dagger had caused it, gives Ardeth pause before he turns his head. Alex's glaring eyes, even darker then before, meet his. His own wide-eyed stare makes her believe he's clearly in awe that she'd somehow managed to pull that off with a small blade, and that she'd done so while still being in a match with one of his other men. Not to mention, he'd been mid-swing when she hit his blade, so her aim even in the midst of all this chaos was something to marvel at in itself.

But they didn't have time to such long looks or questioning gazes. Ardeth granted her his awe for only a second, and then immediately turned to locate another sword so he could continue taking out the strong man who had made it out of the desert the first time.

Alex turns back to the man she'd been fighting before she'd turned to save Rick. But rather than face a man still hellbent on taking her out… she paused at the look on his face. Stunned fashion, and maybe even sorry. That's what it looks like he feels for having injured her at this moment. The fact that he'd only been able to do so because she'd opted to quit fighting him to save another, was clearly not lost on him.

Regardless of whether he intended to return to their battle, or to simply back away in a sign of respect for her, Alex doesn't care. This fight was growing to annoy her more and more by the second. It needed to end, and it needed to end now. So, paying him no more attention, Alex drops her sword and sprints towards where Rick is standing near the firepit. He was clearly running out of options, about to reach for a burning piece of wood to use as a weapon against the man she'd briefly disarmed.

But he'd give Alex this much credit. Though the idea had occurred to him, Alex was definitely bolder than he was. Because she actually went for it. She dove down for the stick of dynamite she'd seen on the ground earlier. Rolling in front of him towards the fire, she quickly lights the fuse, and then turns swiftly to stand between him and the desert man before her.

He stops immediately, his eyes darting for a moment from her, to the dynamite, and then back to her. It was clear that, for a moment, he was uncertain how serious of a threat her stick of dynamite really was. Would she really blow herself up, along with everyone else around them? Was the fact that she'd die while also taking most of his men out really good enough for her?

There was no shiver or hesitance in her stance. The only movement she made, was to shake her head as she says, "Enough." Ardeth stares at her a moment longer, and then lowers his sword in a show of his ending the fight. Which was clearly not enough for her, as she made no move to put out the dynamite stick. Turning his head, he shouts to his men, "Enough! Yallah!"

He relaxes himself and stands up straight, though Alex made no move to mirror him. It was clear that she would not remove the threat of this impending death for them all, until he and his men were all gone from the camp. Which, if they did plan on leaving alive, they were running out of time for.

Ardeth nods his head to her again, showing her understands in full just how far she's willing to go to be rid of them. Holding up his hands for a moment, he explains, "We will shed no more blood. But you must leave. Leave this place or die."

Alex glares in his direction, clearly not liking the fact that he's still threatening them while she's the one holding the tiny little doom stick. But then she straightens herself up in confusion as he tilts his head at her, and then shakes it. It didn't matter if no one else understood what he was trying to say. Alex understood. He wasn't necessarily threatening them. He was warning them. Because if they did end up dying in this place… it wasn't necessarily going to be because his men came back to finish the job.

Climbing back onto the horse that is brought to him, he looks down to her and says sternly, "You have one day." And then to his men, he shouts, "Yallah! Nimshi!"

As soon as they're gone, Alex pulls the wick from the dynamite and tosses it on the ground. Rick pats her on the shoulder appreciatively, and then goes to check on Evie, who had fallen on the ground after letting off a round with the shotgun.

As Rick carefully inspects her for injuries, Alex finally finds herself able to smile again. Seeing that Evie's in very good hands, Evie even stepping closer to him when he wraps his hands around her to hold her close, Alex heads for Jonathon and pulls him up off the ground. Brushing some of the dirt from him, she asks, "You good?" "Yeah. Thanks for that." "Always."

Then Burns exclaims, "That just proves it! Old Seti's fortune's gotta be under this sand." Henderson nods in agreement, "For them to protect it like this, you just know there's treasure down there." Rolling her eyes, Alex looks at them and asks, "Are you really this stupid? Or are you just good at acting this stupid?" Henderson glares at her, but then looks to Rick when he says, "These men are a desert people. They value water not gold." Alex points to him and says, "Exactly!"

Rick grins at her, and then looks at Burns who says, "You know… maybe just at night, we could um… combine forces."

At the displeased look that crosses Alex's face, Evie would've liked to say no… they would definitely not be combining forces. But… Alex turns her eyes to Rick, and then she nods begrudgingly that it would probably be better to stick together at night. That was, apparently, when the men from the desert preferred to strike. And so, the camps are combined, and though Jonathon quickly conks out for the night, Alex shuts her eyes… but remains awake as Rick teaches a drunk Evie how to punch.

They have a conversation which ends with Evie about to kiss Rick, but she passes out herself before that happens.

And after Ricks lays her down on her mat and covers her up, Alex finally rises and says, "She won't remember that by the way." Rick turns to her in surprise, "Thought you were asleep." "Can't." "Why not?" "Slew of reasons really. Take your pick." Rick nods and moves to stand beside her at the usual post that she's taken. Glancing back at Evie, he can't help asking, "She really won't remember that?"

Alex nods, "I've only ever seen her drunk maybe three other times, but she has never remembered anything from any of those times. Well, nothing with any clarity on her part anyway. She won't remember anything solidly past you teaching her to punch the first couple of times." Rick nods to that, only slightly disappointed. But really, if he was going to kiss Evelyn… well, doing it while she was drunk wasn't exactly what he'd call ideal.

Then, as he thinks back to the fight this evening, Rick looks to Alex and asks, "Would you have really blown us all up?" "Possibly. And if they hadn't left… probably."

At his raised eyebrow, Alex simply says, "I like being in control of my own death. I know that's a silly idea, but if I can control it, I'm going to. And going out by dynamite is better than having one of them skewer me, or having one of them kill one of you before I get the chance to take them all out." Shrugging, she adds, "So yeah. I would've totally blown us up. Which is, honestly, probably the only reason he actually quit and left us alone. Doesn't hurt that it would've taken him and some of his other men with us if I had ended up blowing us all to bits."

Rick shakes his head, not able to help that he finds her straight-forward opinion of it so amusing. Then he gestures to her side, "How is that, by the way? You were bleeding pretty bad earlier." "It only looked bad. I stitched it up and I'm fine now. Ready to open that coffin tomorrow and see who's inside." Rick chuckles, "You sound as bad as Evelyn."

Smiling up at Rick, she returns to her bed, and then says, "By the way, I'm not sure why you never call her Evie, but you should keep it up with the whole 'Evelyn' thing. She likes it." Rick chuckles again, and then lays down too so they can get some sleep. Because if tomorrow turns out to be anything like today… well, then they are definitely going to need all the rest they can get tonight.

* * *

Chapter 3! Woohoo!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: "I do not own any part of the Mummy franchise. Wish I did, because those first two movies were awesome. But I don't. All credit for quotes and scenes taken from the movie, go to the writers, producers, directors, etc. I own only Alexandra Taren, and any original content that I make her do or say. That is all."

* * *

Chapter 4

"Oh, I've been dreaming about this since I was a little girl!"

Rick looks at her and raises an eyebrow as they sit the coffin straight up. "You dream about dead guys?"

But Evie isn't paying attention to his comment, already looking to where the sacred spells are supposed to be engraved on top of the sarcophagus, but apparently have been scratched away. Smirking, Alex pats Rick on the shoulder and says, "You might be in trouble. I hear dead guys are kind of easy to find if you don't mind digging up graves." He turns to her and holds up a middle finger, making her laugh before she joins Jonathon on the other side. Turning 'his' key in the lock to make it possible to open, Jonathon says, "Yeah, I'm all tears. Now, let's see who's inside, shall we?"

It takes a little effort to open it after the lock is turned, but then it springs off and the mummy himself falls forward towards them. Even Alex jumps back and curses under her breath before calming down. Evie exclaims, "I hate it when these things do that!"

Rick then asks, "Is he supposed to look like that?" Evie frowns at the appearance of this particular mummy, "No, I've never seen a mummy look like this before. He's still… still…" Alex, Jonathon and Rick all say, "Juicy." "Yes. He must be more than three thousand years old and… well, it looks as if he's still… decomposing."

Alex looks at it a moment longer, and then looks down at the inside of the lid of the coffin. She tilts her head at the lines scraped into the lid, wondering if maybe someone had carved something inside before sealing it. Maybe an explanation for why this guy looked like he'd only been in the ground a short while, as opposed to the three-thousand years Evelyn said he must've been there.

She traces out some of the lines with her fingers, before then pausing and placing all four of her fingers on the four lines that are dragged down the center of the lid. Freezing entirely upon realizing what had actually made these marks, she jerks her hand away while says softly, "Evie."

Evelyn turns at Alex's voice, frowns at her tense stance, and then joins her in looking down at the coffin lid. Rick bends down with them and asks, "What do you make of this?"

And then Evie gasps and says, "My God, these markings were made with…" She uses her own hand to show the others what Alex had already figured out. "Fingernails. This man was buried alive. And… he left a message."

Alex wasn't able to remain any longer. She's already turned and is heading away when she hears Evie say from behind her, "Death is only the beginning."

As soon as she's out of sight from the others, Alex breaks into a sprint as she makes her way out of the tomb and into the light of day. She doesn't stop there either. As soon as she's up and out of the underground, she stops running, but she keeps on walking, jumping over short walls and tumbled columns until she's at the edge of the city where they first came in at.

From the desert, Ardeth and his men have been watching the camp, waiting and praying that these people leave, as they'd been warned to do. That's when one of his men says, "Look. It's the lady warrior."

Ardeth turns his gaze to where he's looking, watching the young woman from the other day leap over another wall until she reaches the edge of the city. All of the men who had been present and survived yesterday's battle had taken to calling her the lady warrior, or the spirited one. And while they usually made it their business to avoid any attachments to anyone outside of their mission and belief, Ardeth couldn't argue that she had effectively captured the attention of him and all his people.

No fear. That is what he'd seen in her eyes, plainly displayed before him. And not just when he'd finally managed to pin her down. He'd seen it then and had simply waited for her to see him in return, and to see that he didn't wish to fight her. But then he'd seen it again. He'd seen the fire in her gaze as she'd stopped him from cutting down the strong man who had survived the desert.

And even if that hadn't shown him all he needed to know, she had then lit a stick of dynamite and put herself between him and the other man. If it had been anyone else, he may have still tried to fight, to find another sword, to continue the battle until they were forced out, if these people were even capable of forcing them out.

But this young woman had no hesitation in her grip, no fear in her eyes, and a resolution in her stance that told him all he needed to know. If she was going to die, then she was going to take him and anyone else she could with her.

The stories about her were already spreading among his men, which is why it didn't surprise him that, though there were several other people above ground still at this point in the day, no one was pointed out specifically until she came back into view.

She was at the edge of the city now, away from everyone and everything. But with no horse or camel, she can't possibly be considering leaving.

Alex drops down against the wall behind her, slumping so her knees are drawn into her chest. She presses one hand against her chest, as though something has suddenly made it hard or impossible to breathe. And as he and his men watch as she struggles to take in her next few breaths, Ardeth actually leans forward, his horse taking a step with him, as though he may ride out to her to see what is wrong.

Alex eventually lets her legs fall straight out and clutches at her side for a moment. Not the one that was injured yesterday, but her right side that had been scarred when she was a child. The scar was not fresh any more, but it still ached in cold weather. Not that this was cold. But the man in the coffin, cursed and as bad as he must've been, had been buried alive. Slowly or as quickly as death came to him… he had been buried alive.

It struck a chord of fear deep inside of her. There wasn't much that scared her at all. Evie knew that she only truly feared two things in this life. Evie was about the only one that knew. Alex could handle anything under the sun and then some. But death… that was a thing that did frighten her. And not even her own. She wasn't afraid to die. But certain ideas of death, particularly ones in which all power and control was taken away from the person dying.

Like her parents, who had been strapped and tied down in chairs and tortured before finally being killed. And like this man, who probably deserved it, but who had nevertheless been wrapped and bound and shoved into a coffin and locked inside to rot away slowly with nothing but his own terrified thoughts for company.

Alex didn't like being afraid. Fear, if a person let it take hold, could make a person do crazy and rash things. Things that could get other people killed in the process, if one wasn't careful. But Alex also knows that, though she is scared of very little, that being 'fearless' wasn't really a very realistic idea. Everyone was afraid of something. Every single person on the planet, had something in this life that frightened them.

And as she touches the scar on her right side, Alex is reminded of why few fears she did still have, weren't something she needed ashamed of. People were often scared of lesser evils and lesser things. She fears death without control; and silly as the notion seemed to some, she was not ashamed of that fear. She had very good reasons for it.

Her gasping slowly goes back to simply labored breathing. She just needed to get outside so she avoided a panic attack. She hadn't had one in ages, since she was a teenager in fact. But she still knew the signs, and she knew how to help herself take care of it.

She also knows that it's Evie who eventually slides down to sit beside her. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her in closer, Evelyn doesn't say anything right now. She just simply holds Alex. Usually, Alex was the one to offer comfort and strength. But this was just another one of the ways Evie made sure to thank Alex for everything she did for them. There weren't many opportunities anymore where she got to be the strong one. But she knew what Alex feared, had been told by Alex when they were younger and she'd been trying to understand what caused Alex's panic attacks.

Alex relaxes into her side, and Ardeth watches as the two women sit there. He did not understand what had just happened to cause such a fiery spirit to become so distressed. But he is glad that the young woman is not left alone to suffer. He had only seen her twice now, and yet he already felt she deserved better than to be left alone with her suffering.

After a few more minutes, Alex says, "I'm alright." Evie holds her tighter, "Are you sure?" "Yeah. I just… I needed a minute." "I understand." Alex nods, and then stands up and helps Evie to her feet as well. Sighing, she asks, "Did you find any other messages?" "No. I followed after you."

Alex smiles gently, and then links her arm through Evie's and says, "Go back to your mummy and find out what you can. I promise you I'm fine now." "Alright. But Jonathon and Rick will be joining you. I don't want you left alone." "I'm fine. And I don't want you down there by yourself. I'll go back with you." "Are you sure? You don't have to." "I know that. But I'm alright. Really. Just… needed time to get a grip back in reality again. And now I have it. So, let's go back and see what else you can find."

* * *

By the time night falls and Evie has gone through everything the coffin has to offer and explained it all to Alex, they're walking back to the camp. Evie is so excited about her find, and Alex can't help but grin when Evie looks over at Rick and beams before hurrying a little closer to him.

"Look what I found in our friend's coffin!" Rick looks up at her, and then to Beni, who was for some God-awful reason, sitting in the seat next to him. Glaring at his old friend, Rick says, "You're in her seat." The little imp chuckles for a brief second before Rick adds, "Now!" And it makes Alex grin with the scrawny man nearly jumps out of his skin as he hurries to vacate the space next to Rick.

Evie looks to Alex, obviously wondering for a moment which one of them Rick was referring to having that seat. Alex rolls her eyes and whispers, "Already told you. He didn't still that special little kit for me." And with that, she nudges Evie towards the fire before heading around everyone to stand on the outskirts, watching over the desert again. She'd already heard the whole gruesome tale about the little scarab skeletons anyway. She definitely didn't need to hear it again.

After Evie is done explaining, Burns looks over at Alex and asks, "What's she doing?" Rick looks over, and then says, "Making sure we're safe. It's kind of her thing."

The smile it brings to Evie's face, the fact that he understands Alex in that light, makes him grin at her before turning back to the others. Daniels chuckles and asks, "What is she going to do? Shoot down those black cloaked desert men before they get here, in the dark, without a rifle?"

Jonathon glares at him and says, "For your information, my little cousin over there is a regular, real life, Annie Oakley with any gun you put in her hand." Evie nods and says, "Furthermore, she has a very sharp eye, even in the dark. If she sees movement, she'll let us know, so we aren't ambushed like we were the other night."

Before Henderson can make a comment, Rick cocks his shotgun threateningly, and so the boys let it drop. And at the hand Evie places on his arm, he looks up at her again. She simply smiles and says softly, "Thank you." Rick simply nods in response, before then looking back to her handful of scarab skeletons and asking her to tell him more about them.

* * *

Later, that night, as all of the others are lying down and sleeping, Alex hears Evie rustling around the camp. And she wasn't the only one who heard her. As soon as Evie had gotten the book from the Egyptologist and brought it back to their section of the camp, Rick commented, "That's called stealing, you know." Evie looks at him briefly, and then says, "According to you and my brother, it's called borrowing." And then she rustles through some of Jonathon's bags, cursing under her breath when she can't find whatever it is she wants.

Alex sighs and sits up before asking, "What are you looking for?" It's not lost on Rick that, although Evie had turned to him as though a little surprised he was still awake, she didn't even show a little surprise at the fact that Alex was still up. She just kept right on looking, as though Alex's voice suddenly speaking from behind her was as natural as anything else in life.

It was still taking him time to get used to it, but he was beginning to understand for himself, even in this short time span, that anything Alex did relating to looking after them should never been seen as a surprise. It wasn't even something to be wondered about. It was just fact; plain and simple. Which is why Evie simply responds to the question calmly, "The key my brother keeps insisting is his." Alex reaches into his pocket deftly and pulls it out and hands it over. Shrugging when Evie looks at Jonathon, wondering how he didn't wake up, Alex simply says, "I taught him how to pit-pocket in the first place. And honestly, you know he can sleep like the dead most of the time. Nothing short of someone screaming bloody murder is going to wake him up."

Evie grins, and then scurries back over to her book. Rick moves to be behind her and comments, "I thought the Book of Amun Ra was made out of gold." "It is made out of gold. This isn't the Book of Amun Ra. This is something else. I think this may be the Book of the Dead." Alex raises an eyebrow at her, "Cheery." Rick grins up at her, and then asks Evie, "Are you sure you want to be playing around with this thing?" "It's just a book. No harm ever came from, reading a book."

But as it opens, the wind howls again, causing the fire in the pit to waver and flicker. Glancing at it, and then at the desert around them, Rick adds cautiously, "That happens a lot around here." Alex nods, looking out over the landscape again before glancing back as Rick asks, "So, what's it say?" "Amun Ra. Amun Dei."

When Evie offers no other explanation for what she just said, Alex translates, "It speaks of the night and of the day." And Alex would've continued translating for Rick. But as soon as Evie reads through that entire first line though, the Egyptologist snaps up and shouts, "NO! YOU MUST NOT READ FROM THE BOOK!"

Alex raises an eyebrow and wants to comment sarcastically that he's entirely too late on his warning, when suddenly the wind howls again, this time longer and harder than any of the other times it had done so before. And on the horizon, what looks like a giant black cloud emerges and starts heading toward them. Evie and Rick scramble to their feet, and Jonathon sits up in his bed when Alex kicks his side harshly to wake him up. Narrowing her eyes, focusing on the cloud that's fast approaching, she struggles briefly with determining just what the hell it is.

But finally, eyes widening in realization, she says, "Locusts." Evie gasps and Rick grabs her arm and says, "Run. Run!"

The entire camp starts and jumps to life in an uproar, and Rick leads their group down into the tomb again to try and get some cover from the massive horde of flying insects.

Of course, that would be when they run into the mound of dirt that springs up out of nowhere. Alex tilts her head at the pile of sand that just seemingly keeps growing for a while, "Well, that's certainly not normal." Jonathon shrieks, "You think!"

And then scarabs, like the ones Evie had found in the coffin, except these were alive, pop out of the top and start running down and in their direction. Rick shouts, "Run! Go!" And as they sprint to fight their way out another door and back to the surface, he shoots at them with his shotgun to try and buy them enough time to get out of the way. And just in time, Evie brings them out onto a path in the light of day. Jonathon and Rick jump to the left, off of the path and into a little section that was safely away from the little creatures. Meanwhile, Evie and Alex jump right to get out of their path, landing in another little nook of safety.

Watching as they run past, creepy and clicking little things, Alex then feels herself suddenly falling backwards. And though she tries to catch herself before going down, Evie gasps as she begins falling as well, and tries to reach out and grab something to prevent her own fall. And what she happens to finally latch onto, is Alex's arm. They both fall back through the trap door after that, and into the dimly lit room beyond.

Sitting up, Alex hurriedly pulls Evie up and asks, "You alright?" Nodding, Evie gives her a sorrowful look, "Yes, I'm fine. I'm so sorry I grabbed you. I thought..." But Alex waves away the ridiculous notion of Evelyn being sorry for this. "Nonsense. I wouldn't want you alone in here anyway." They look around briefly in search of something or anything to show them where they are in these catacombs, and that's when they spotted Burns.

Evie immediately sighs in relief, "Oh. Mr. Burns. Thank goodness. I thought for a moment we were all alone down here." But Alex watches him warily, something about the way the man is standing and not turning towards them not sitting right with her. Catching Evie's arm, Alex shakes her head, "Keep back Evie."

Before Evie can question why Alex is so wary of one of the Americans right now, Burns turns around and mumbles, "My eyes. He took my eyes." He reaches out for them, but Evie is screaming in terror, so Alex pulls her back and against the wall, out of Burns' reach. Because yes, it was true. Burns' eyes were gone. It looks like they'd literally been scooped out of his sockets.

And if that wasn't horrifying enough on it's own, that also happens to be when the mummy, their unnamed mummy who had been most decidedly dead no more than a couple of hours ago, comes out of the shadows and approaches them.

"Anck Su Namun." Alex gives him a weird look as he directs his words at Evie. And then, as she stares more closely at him, she realizes that he has eyes. He has Burns' eyes. The man that Evie is asking for help from, but who simply continues trying to scramble backward away from the sound of the creature. He's also mumbling something about the fact that his tongue was also gone… apparently also stolen by their dead mummy. Hence the mummy also being able to articulate speech.

Yeah, because the fact that he can talk is the most shocking part of this scenario right now. A dead mummy is alive and advancing on her and her cousin. For a moment, Alex swears that she simply has to be dreaming. Because let's be serious. In what world is it actually possible to bring the dead back to life?

She's about convinced herself, amidst her continuing to put herself between Evie and the walking corpse in front of them, that if she blinks she'll wake up and simply have been having a nightmare. Even as he speaks again, asking Evie, whom he still calls Anck Su Namun, to come with him. That's when Rick barrels into the room and says, "There you two are! We've been looking everywhere… WOAH!"

The mummy opens his mouth wide, far wider than should be possible, and roars at them. And while Alex could've chalked that up to being a dream, it's actually the fact that Rick just roars back, clearly not yet intimidated by the dead corpse that is now walking in front of them, that affirms for Alex that she's not dreaming. Somehow, she's just quite certain she never would've imagined that as Rick's reaction to first meeting the living dead.

Satisfied that she's not still asleep anymore and should probably do more than just stand there, Alex grabs Rick's shotgun and blasts the mummy in the midsection before shoving Evie and saying, "Move!" Rick follows behind Evie, making sure to drag Jonathon along behind him as well. Alex turns back though and tries to grab Burns up off the floor. Much as she didn't really like these Americans, somehow leaving him there with the mummy seemed incredibly wrong. Dragging him up by one arm, she hisses as he stumbles, "Come on. Work with me here."

But the mummy is blocking her path now, as she'd been trying to still follow in the same direction Rick had taken. Cursing under her breath, she starts trying to drag Burns back another way, hurrying him along as fast as she can, trying to get them both out of here.

He trips again though, and as she tries to pull him back to his feet, the mummy grabs her by the back of her collar and flings her back down the hall. Alex simply glares at him, ignoring the fact that a pile of bones had managed to throw her several feet away from him. Sprinting back up the hall, she shoots him again with the shot gun. And without breaking stride, she hurries past him and tries to grab Burns' arm again so she can haul his ass out of here.

The mummy's bony hand grips her arm though before she can lift Burns off the floor. Spinning her back around, he throws her into the wall next to them, pinning her there off the ground with one hand pressed hard against her collar. She can't be certain whether he's glaring or just staring at her at this point. And then he says to her in his Egyptian tongue, "You have fire."

It strikes her as the oddest thing he could possibly say at this point in time. Not just because he's a mummy that said it, but because it's the exact same thing that the desert man had said to her before asking her to stay down and out of the fight the night before.

But regardless, right now he's still holding her against a wall while saying it, so she's not entirely certain it can be all that good to have this so called 'fire' that they claim she possesses. Glaring at the mummy in front of her, she simply says back, "So I'm fucking told."

She pulls the trigger of the shotgun again, blowing away part of his midsection. But the damn thing is unfazed. He simply roars in her face again, his jaw dropping past where it should be able to once more, and then he pulls her off the wall and tosses her… like she's a freaking baseball… all the way down the hall and into a stone column at the end.

Landing on her hands and knees as she hits the ground, she tries to scramble up again, to go after Burns before the mummy can do anything worse to him. Because at this point, it wasn't even really about saving the man. It was about proving to literal dead-man-walking that she was not about to be beaten so easily.

Before she can get back to her feet though, other hands are on her, pulling her up and keeping her steady and still where she is. She tries to fight them at first, unsure of just how many other mummies she should expect at this point. If one is up and walking around, who knows how many others have suddenly decided to wake the hell up and attack the living.

But as she focuses her gaze on where Burns is, she sees the black men from the desert hurriedly grabbing him and hurrying with him out of the tunnel, meanwhile others are remaining to try and deal with the creature long enough for everyone to get away. Looking up to her right, Alex finds the desert man that had managed to pin her to the ground the other night holding one of her arms to keep her upright.

She looks at Burns again, and then down to where the mummy had been. Then she simply asks in disbelief, "What the hell?" She feels the man's gaze shift to her, and then he says, "Come."

Alex ponders commenting on the fact that he isn't her boss, and he can't tell her what the hell to do like he can the rest of his men. But as she tries to stand up on her own, one of her legs gives out from beneath her. Shit, her body was sorer than she'd though.

Well… being thrown into stone walls and columns, twice in the same day, was bound to hurt like hell eventually. Right?

Ardeth takes his other hand, gripping her arm in both so he could keep her on her feet. Bringing her arm around her shoulders, he says something in Arabic to the rest of his men. Several turn and walk the other way, while the others join him and Alex as he leads the way back outside of this underground city.

Breathing in the clean night air feels really good, Alex is willing to admit. But as soon as Ardeth lets her go, she turns around to with every intention of heading back inside. The only thing stopping her, the man from the desert grips her arm again. Tighter than before, he clearly meant to keep her here, with him and his men.

The blade that flashed up to press against his throat didn't even make him blink, but she could tell that he knew the threat was real when she said, "Let me go." "You need to stay here." "My cousins are in there. Release me or I will kill you to get to them."

Ardeth does not doubt that she would, feels the blade press more firmly against his skin. No waiver, and no hesitation. He'd die if he prevented her from keeping her family safe.

He gentles his grip on her arm, but implores all the same, "My men are going to find them if they are still inside. If they are already heading out, then they will join us shortly." When Alex doesn't look convinced, Ardeth says, "Let us tend to your wound. If after that they are not here, I will not try to stop you."

Frowning, Alex asks, "My wound?" He nods towards her neck, which she admits is sore, but everything was sore right now. Ardeth tilts his head and asks, "Aren't you hurt?" "Everything hurts. He threw me into stone walls. Hard. Twice. I'll get over it."

He doesn't argue with her, but he does explain, "You are not broken, but you are more hurt than you realize. He is stronger than even trained humans can comprehend. Please…" He gestures to a man behind him, whom Alex recognizes as the one she fought for so long on the boat. Glancing back at Ardeth, confusion in her eyes, she asks, "Why?" "Why what?" "Why are you helping me? You tried to kill us all earlier."

He waits a moment, and then gently reaches up for her hand that still holds the knife at his throat. And when she doesn't fight him on it, he lowers it slowly back to her side. And then she found herself surprised when, though she pulled it out as quickly as she always did, Ardeth was able to guide it back into the exact location it had come from on her belt. Squeezing her wrist gently, he says, "We did not attack you. We attacked those that we knew would not listen to reason. We had every intention of leaving you alone, and speaking with you on the morrow. But… we did not expect that you would join in the fight." Alex raises an eyebrow, "And why the hell not? We're not mind-readers. How were we supposed to know you wouldn't just move onto us after you finished with the Americans?"

Ardeth nods after a moment, granting her that she was logical in that opinion. And then her eyes blow wide when he bows his head slightly and says, "You have my apologies then. Perhaps we should've done it in different order. But we needed them gone before…"

He was about to say 'before this happened'. But… well, now it had happened.

Alex softens her gate for a moment, realizing that whatever this was that was going on… this is why they'd told them to leave. To try and prevent this from taking place. Sighing after a moment, she winces when her shoulder slumps and it hurts more than it should. Ardeth holds a hand out behind him, "Havar will tend to you. If they are not here when he is done, we will not stop you."

She nods, though she comments as she steps to the side, "You'd better not. I wasn't kidding." And she can't help grinning a little from behind him when he assures, "I have no doubt that is true."

Havar, as she now knows him to be called, nods his head in greeting to his worthy opponent. Pulling her aside to sit on a large stone nearby, he then tugs her shirt aside so he can see her collar. And while Alex had known and even admitted that it hurt where the mummy had shoved her so hard, she hadn't expected quite so dark a bruise to have appeared on her skin.

Turning back to the man obviously in charge, who had known before even looking how hurt she would be, she asks, "What the hell?" Coming closer, he says something in Arabic to Havar. Then he bends down next to her and says, "We have not trained as you have. We have worked our entire lives to be prepared for this moment. Almost as much as we've worked to try and prevent it from ever happening."

Havar, who had stepped away for a moment, comes back with a small container in his hands. Ardeth nods, and then says assuredly to Alex, "The pain will cease soon." Alex raises an eyebrow, but nods her assent when Havar poses a finger over her bruise and waits. And when the pain immediately lessons, Alex sighs in relief before nodding her thanks to both men. Whatever else they were, and whatever else she'd thought of them before, they were helping now. And considering what they'd been doing before was try and prevent this great tragedy from ever occurring… well, a person could only be so mad about that. Especially now that she was seeing what exactly it was they were working so hard to keep at bay.

One of the men who had left in the other direction earlier now returns, addresses Ardeth for a moment, and then moves to stand with the rest of the men. Ardeth motions for his men to prepare for whoever's about to come, but as Alex hurriedly tries to stand up, he motions for her to remain, "They will not be harmed."

And as her family and Rick, and some of the others, come around the corner, they draw up short at all the guns and desert-men that are standing before them. Then Evie spots Alex and says shakily, "Oh, please let her go."

And now… well, Ardeth is surprised. Not only because of what she says, but because of the soft tone she uses to say it. Her voice was hard when addressing all of them. Sharp, like the edge of a sword. But upon speaking to Evie, Alex's tone was gentle as she said, "They're the only reason I'm not dead, Evie. It's alright."

She shrugs at the surprised look Ardeth gives her, and then winces as she tries to lean back. Havar brings her to stand and come up beside their leader, who tugs at her shirt gently so he can see the bruise. Back to her eyes, he asks, "You are still hurt?" "I'm sore everywhere. I'll be fine."

He doesn't try to argue with the hard set of her eyes. Turning back to look at the others, he steps up and explains, "I told you to leave or die. You refused. And now you may have killed us all. For you have unleashed a creature we have feared for more than three thousand years."

Alex looks at Evie and says, "Not a bad guess on your part then." Evie can't help grinning, though Ardeth looks at her again with a raised eyebrow. But he quickly turns back to the others when Rick says, "Relax, she got him."

Then he turns to Alex again, whom Rick is pointing at as having 'got' the monster. And at his questioning gaze, she shrugs, "I shot him. Three times. Though in hindsight, that doesn't seem to have much effect except for maybe delaying him."

She doesn't understand why he should seem more impressed at this point than before. And when she raises an eyebrow, Ardeth explains, "I assumed he had simply captured you. I did not know you were trying to kill him." But Alex shakes her head, "I wasn't. I was trying to get him." She gestures back to Burns, and then shrugs, "After that, I was just trying to kick his ass. Killing him doesn't seem a very viable option since I only had the shotgun." "And yet you continued to fight him?" "What the hell else was I supposed to do? Hug him?"

He raises an eyebrow again, though he still seems to be looking at her with admiration. Which she honestly doesn't understand. A freaking mummy was chasing after her, pinning her against walls, telling her she had fire, and looking as though he were a harbinger of death about to send her to her grave. What else was she supposed to have done? Shrivel into a little ball and cry before dying?

Yeah. Hell will freeze over first.

He finally turns back to Rick after a moment more and continues explaining, "As she said, the gun did not kill him. No mortal weapon can kill this creature. He is not of this world." And then he brings out Burns for everyone to see, handing him over to his friends. Daniels looks up and shouts, "You bastards!" Henderson nods and adds, "What did you do to him?"

And… okay, Alex wouldn't exactly say she was best friends with these desert people. She still didn't completely approve of them attacking the camp the night before. But, she admits, that was more because her cousins got involved than anything else.

Anyways, in spite of not being 'buddies' with these people, there are a few things that Alex is certain of already. A, if they'd feared this creature for over three thousand years, then this was the sole reason they had for guarding over this city and trying to drive people out, before this shit could happen. B, considering he'd already looked at her like he'd known the mummy wouldn't be dead from a shot gun, he was probably one of the only people in the world with any idea how to go about killing him. And C, she and Burns would most certainly probably be dead already, if he hadn't shown up when he did with his men to help them get away.

So maybe not exactly what she'd call friends, but given what she knows now, Alex does feel a certain amount of respect and gratitude for him, his people, and the actions they'd taken. Maybe not complete agreement. She would never be happy about the danger her family had been put in the other night. But respect, and understanding of their mission… that she did have. Which is why Alex glares at Daniels, watching him shrink back from her in fear at the iciness of her gaze. Then she grits out through her teeth, "They saved his stupid ass, you lousy Texas Hick. And mine for that matter. So, shut the hell up."

All the men dressed in black look at her then, eyes filled with something akin to appreciation and awe. Then the leader, sensing her continued rage, gives her arm a squeeze to try and calm her. Then he addresses the others again, saying, "Leave, all of you, quickly before he finishes you all. Yallah! Nimshi!" And as they begin filing their way out of the room, Ardeth gently guides Alex to stand with her family again before adding, "We must now go on the hunt; and try and find a way to kill him." Rick says again, "I told you. She got him." Alex rolls her eyes and is about to retort, but the desert man beats her to it this time. Eyes darkening with the seriousness of their plight, he says, "Know this. This creature is the bringer of death. He will never eat. He will never sleep. And he will never stop."

He then looks to her again, and says gently, "You have fire. Be careful where you light it, lest this creature try and put it out before it's time."

And then he leaves, taking his men with him. As soon as they're out of sight, Evie takes Alex's arm in her hands and asks, "What was that about?" "The fire thing?" Evie nods and Alex shrugs, "No idea. But considering the mummy said I have it too, right before I shot him where his heart is supposed to be located, I don't exactly think I'd consider it a good thing to have. That's the third time in two days it's been said."

In spite of everything going on around them, Evie laughs a little at that. And then everyone nods in agreement when Alex says, "But I do think it's a very good idea to get the hell out of this place. Let's grab what horses and camels are left and blow this popsicle stand." Rick raises an eyebrow, "We're in the middle of a scolding hot desert." "Which should just go to show you exactly how deep the the shit is that we're currently in. Now let's go!"

From the other side of the city now, watching as the camels and horses begin hurriedly exiting the place, one of Ardeth's men tells him, "They are leaving. All of them." Ardeth nods, and then takes a telescope out for himself and gazes over the group as they ride off into the desert.

He catches sight of the spirited woman, currently helping one of the men with her re-saddle himself on the camel so he doesn't fall off. Her head was turning in a constant side to side motion, and though she could've easily been near the front where Rick was, she remained near the back, her gaze constantly moving from one side of the group to the other.

She's scanning over all of them, he realizes. Watching them and making sure no one falls off, no one turns back, and no one gets left behind. Nodding to himself, he comments, "Her devotion is a blessed sight to behold, I must say." Another of his men nods in confirmation, and then asks, "And now what do we do?" "Remain here, and search the archives we have for a clue as to how we can stop Imhotep from rising to take over the world." "And you?"

He nods towards the group fleeing the city, "I am going the same way as them. I need to have a word with our friend, the curator, and see if he has any ideas on what our next step should be."

* * *

Alex was looking in her apartment, trying to decide if it would be wise to pack up a lot of her things to bring with her, or if they needed to just grab essentials in a duffle bag and run. Given that she wasn't exactly known for packing everything that a woman ever really needed anyway (she always packed her weapons before anything else), she decided to visit Evie's apartment to see what her plan was.

Of course, that led her to listening in on Rick and Evie's argument. "Oh, no, we are not!" Rick's reply is simply, "Oh, yes we are." "Oh, no, we are not. We woke him up, and we are going to stop him." Alex closes her eyes, but can't help but smile. Of course, Evie wanted to try and fix the problem. She probably felt like the whole thing was mainly her fault. It wasn't. It could also be pinned on the four men who dared to open a cursed chest.

They're argument lasted a few moments more, Alex bristling when Rick talked about a contract and Evie getting offended that maybe that was all she was to him. "Fine!" "Fine." "Fine." "Fine." "Fine."

God. That was a whole lot of fines. And not one of them sincere either. Shit.

As soon as Rick slammed the door shut behind him, he slumped and sighed in aggravation. "You're an ass Rick." He turns to look at her, and then says, "You heard all that?" She nods, and then steps up to him. And even though he knew they were swiftly becoming friends, Rick has the good sense to take a step back. Alex looks him over briefly, and then says, "Given that I don't really think you meant to hurt her, I'm going to let you off with a warning."

Rick raises an eyebrow, but doesn't dare combat what she's saying. She had grown to call him friend in a rather short amount of time, something he suspected was a rarity for her in the first place. But he had never expected that to put him above reproach in her eyes. And while he was her friend, Evie was family, and Alex had already told him that Evie and Jonathon were all she had left in this world.

So yeah, he kind of expected this sort of reaction from her, given how upset he'd probably made Evie just now. And Alex notes that though he has stepped back, he doesn't really seem afraid or bewildered or anything. He knows why she's calling him an ass, why she's giving him a warning, and why she's currently giving him a hard stare. Nodding to herself, she still adds on, just to make sure her warning is perfectly clear, "If you ever intentionally hurt one of the only two people in this world that I care about again, I will make you wish you were dead. Savvy?" He nods in understanding, and then asks, "And what about you?"

She tilts her head briefly, but then asks, "You mean am I staying or leaving?" He nods, and then huffs in annoyance when she immediately answers, "If Evie's staying then I'm staying." "And what about Jonathon?" Alex raises an eyebrow, "I just told you not to let them get hurt. Besides, Jonathon has probably already been planning on leaving with you as soon as those desert people told us to get lost. The first time, not just this second one." Patting his arm, she says, "Keep him safe. I'll take care of Evie." Rick throws up his hands, "Against the harbinger of death!" "Against anything and everything."

He stares a moment longer, and then storms off, angry and frustrated as all get out. Because as protective as Alex is, he doesn't understand how in the hell she thinks she's going to stop a supernatural, living-dead, bringer of death from destroying the city, Evie, or the rest of the world.

Alex sighs after a moment, because she honestly doesn't know either. But come hell or high water, she will be long dead before she lets that disgusting creature do anything to Evie. With that in mind, she steps into the room just as Evie was about to come out. Evie pauses, and then says, "I… I'm not leaving. So… if you're here to ask what else I need to carry out, just…" Alex raises an eyebrow, wondering what threat exactly Evie thought she could make that would actually force her to listen. Then she simply says, "Relax Evie. Asshole is gone and if you're not leaving then I sure as hell am not leaving either." Crossing her arms over her chest, she asks, "What's our next step in figuring out how to kill this thing?" Evie smiles after a moment, and then says, "Right, um… I need more books." Alex can't help grinning, "Of course, you do. Lead the way then."

* * *

They were heading back towards her room, Alex carrying what books Evie couldn't while she was already working on reading one as they walked. Alex spared an arm for a moment to pull her to the side just a bit so she didn't fall off the sidewalk and then fall down. Evie quietly says, "Thanks," though her eyes never actually lift from the page she's reading.

Alex looks her over once more, and then says, "You know he didn't mean it, right?" Evie turns to her at that, and at the confused expression on her face, Alex explains, "Rick? Talking about a contract with you? He didn't mean it the way it sounded. Besides, if he'd meant for it to end as soon as he got you back here, he wouldn't have been trying to pack up your room for you while also trying to talk you out of staying here."

Silence for a moment, while Evelyn takes time to think about that. Then she sighs in frustration, "He's just so…" Alex nods, "He's a bit brutish, I concede to that. But… come on Evie. He has all the best intentions at heart. You see that right? His intentions might not be the exact same as yours, but they're for the best." "I want to save the world from this mess I started!"

Alex points sternly at her, "It's not all your fault. The four dumbasses who decided to open a cursed chest are as much to blame for all this. And aside from that, I didn't say your intentions were bad. Just that they weren't the same as Rick's." "What other intention could trump mine?!" Alex rolls her eyes, "Come on, Evie. You've lived most of your life with me. How can you not tell what his intention is?" When Evelyn just looks at her confused again, Alex sighs, "Evie… saving the world is a noble pursuit, and I do not knock it or scoff at it in the slightest. But Rick… doesn't give a rat's ass about the whole world, Evie. Same as me. And believe me, if you weren't so intent on staying here, I wouldn't be staying here either." "Then why…" "I'm staying for the same reason Rick was trying to pack up your room for you."

Evie tilts her head, to which Alex huffs, "He doesn't care about protecting the whole world. Neither do I. He cares about protecting you." "But he…" "Oh please, he's not actually leaving. He just needed a minute to cool off and get his head wrapped around your stubborn idea of staying behind. He's here and he'll still be here tomorrow. If we live that long, I mean."

Evie actually smiles at her, and then they hurry to try and get back to her room faster. And as though to prove Alex right, that's when Rick calls out from behind them, "Oh Evelyn!" They both turn, and Alex mutters, "Told you so." Evie glances at her, but then puts on a carefree face, as though seeing him changes nothing, "Oh, so you're still here." He offers a fake laugh as he gets right in front of her, and then says quite seriously, "We've got problems."

Alex raises an eyebrow, about to comment on the fact that she'd thought it was already obvious that they had problems. World-ending, living-dead walking, type problems. But before she can, a thunderous crash sounds across the sky, and then burning hail begins to fall on the ground around them. Like one of the plagues of Egypt from within the bible. Alex stares at it for a moment, and then can't help but say, "Well, shit." Rick nods in agreement, and then grabs Evie's arm and runs, leading the way down the corridor until they reach a stairwell. At which point Beni runs down from a room upstairs, though he tries to quickly backpedal upon seeing Rick approaching. It doesn't do him any good though. Rick grabs him and slams him against a wall, demanding to know where the hell he's been.

The slippery little man does manage to get away though, and though Alex can see Rick would like to go after him, he doesn't. Instead, as he pulls out a gun from his holster, he reaches out a hand for Evie to take. And Evie takes it without hesitation, their previous fight quickly forgotten and displaced as non-important. All that mattered was Rick was here, and he was still trying to protect Evie, just as Alex had told her.

Alex was actually able to smile at that fact. At least until they managed to get to Burns' room. But upon getting there, they find that Burns is now nothing more than a clump of skin and bones. And near the mantle in the room is the mummy, his form and figure shifting and changing right before their eyes. The first time she'd seen him, he'd only been strong enough to take Burns' eyes and tongue away from him. Now, somehow, he'd managed to suck all the life out of Burns, and was transferring it all to himself.

Alex narrows her eyes as she recalls the fact that Beni had been running down from this very room. If Burns was here and dead already, why hadn't Beni been devoured as well? Why had he been allowed to escape?

She doesn't get to worry about that too long though. As soon as he's absorbed all of the life he can from Burns' body, the mummy turns around to face them and roars. Alex grabs hold of Evie, dropping the books to the floor and pulling her cousin behind her. Rick glances back long enough to mention, "We are in serious trouble."

He quickly pulls out his guns after that, firing at the monster, never missing with a single shot. Not that it was hard to hit the target when it was only a few feet away from you. But the point at the moment is that, the mummy is only fazed a little… if at all, really. And though Alex takes to firing upon him as well, it takes him no time to march his way across the room to reach them. Grabbing them by their collars, he shoves them both through the air and into the other Americans and Jonathon, who had just arrived at the doorway.

Alex is the first one to get back to her feet, scrambling in a hurry upon seeing the mummy leaning into Evie for… well, it looks like he's trying to give her what would definitely be considered a gross and ugly kiss. He was apparently trying to thank Evie for raising him from the dead, if Alex is hearing what he's saying correctly.

Yeah, definitely not okay. Charging at them with all her might, Alex slams into him at full speed, her entire body knocking him over while she tries to pull another gun out in the process. It's quickly knocked out of her hand though, and the mummy swings a mighty boned arm back from across his chest and slaps her in the side of the throat. The result being that she ends up flung sideways through the air and into the nearby piano. And this time, she can actually feel the bruise on her neck forming, almost like a burn mark instead of just a hit. She hears him comment in his Egyptian tongue again, "You have fire."

She's seriously beginning to hate that phrase.

Then she hears the piano keys playing, and the mummy freaks the hell out and turns into sand as he exits the room. Literally, it looks like he dissolves into his own personal sand storm and just blows out of the room.

Alex stares at where he'd been standing for a moment, before leaning her head back against the piano bench behind her and muttering quietly, "What… the actual… hell?"

Then she looks above her, wondering what the hell had suddenly scared him so much as to flee the scene. But all that's there is Evie's white cat walking across the piano keys.

A cat. The mummy, a living corpse, who can survive shotgun blasts, can dissolve into sand, and has impossible powers and strength growing within him every single second… is apparently afraid of cats. Alex is certain, without any doubt, that it's quite possibly the stupidest fear he could possibly have. She remembers the desert man telling them that the mummy was not of this world anymore. He would never eat, sleep, or stop. A bringer of death.

And yet, he was chased away and frightened off by a harmless white cat. If Alex's body weren't protesting so much from the pain in her back and neck, she would've laughed. She then looks at Rick and the others still on the floor when he says somberly, "We are in very serious trouble." Nodding, she comments, "No shit."

Evie looks down at her, and then gasps and says, "You're hurt." "I'm fine." "No. Your shoulder." Alex looks down and realizes that it's not just her neck and back that's hurt. Her old scar, the one that stretches from her right shoulder to her collar bone near the center of her chest, is bleeding. That damn mummy must have hit her really hard for it to tear that old wound back open. She hadn't problems with that for years. Freaking years!

Sighing, she rises to her feet, and then says to a worried looking Evie, "I'm fine. It just needs stitches. Get me a needle and some fine thread." Evie dashes off to get it as Alex adds, "And figure out what our next step is. This shit is getting out of hand."

Looking to the men still on the floor, all now staring at her, she asks, "What? Are you just going to sit there all day? Get moving!"

* * *

And that's Chapter 4! I keep adding a lot to these chapters as I'm rereading them. I may try to stop doing that at some point, since that continues to make each chapter a lot longer then it originally was. But, then again, I still like them better when I'm finished. I don't know, we'll see. Hope you're enjoying it so far! :)


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: "I do not own any part of the Mummy franchise. Wish I did, because those first two movies were awesome. But I don't. All credit for quotes and scenes taken from the movie, go to the writers, producers, directors, etc. I own only Alexandra Taren, and any original content that I make her do or say. That is all."

* * *

Chapter 5

"He does seem to like you, Evie." Jonathon's comment did not comfort Alex, who was holding a cold pack to her neck, something Evie had insisted upon before they left her apartment to head for the museum. Rick nods and asks, "Yeah, what's that about?" Henderson blurted out, "What's this guy want?"

Evie, walking determinedly, declares, "There's only one person I know that can give us any answers."

When Evie had first suggested going to the curator, Alex had given her a dubious look. She suspected, from the very first moment that he burnt a portion of the map, that the curator was hiding something. And sure, given that the end of the world was upon them, it should give some descent incentive for him to stop hiding and finally tell them everything they might need to know.

That being said, Alex had never particularly been fond of the man in the first place. Any respect for she had for him, which was very little to begin with, was all Evie's doing. Because her cousin respected him quite a bit. And even while Evie explained that it was really the only thing she could think of, aside from more research that they didn't have time for; Alex still wasn't too keen on asking him. She simply wasn't sure his pride would allow for him to grant them any more information about the creature than they had already seen.

But here they were, back at the museum, heading towards the back office where Dr. Bey was surely trying to secure and protect the most precious of the antiques in this place.

As they all turn the corner though, they find Dr. Bey standing there, along with the desert man. Both men turn to the group as they come to the entryway, and Alex rolls her eyes as a series of guns cock and are pulled out upon seeing the desert man standing there as well. Seriously, the man had attacked them once, and then had saved her and Burns' lives. And now he was trying to save the world from destruction. What more did they want from him at this point?

Evie states in shock, "You!" Dr. Bey looks at Evie, a tad bit smug if Alex judges correctly, and says, "Miss Carnahan. Alex. Gentlemen." Evie glares and asks, "What is he doing here?" He looks to the desert man and then asks, "Do you really want to know or would you prefer to just shoot us?"

Daniels cocks another gun, prepared to shoot, and the curator's eyes widen. But Alex reaches over and knocks the gun so it points down to the ground before it goes off.

Everyone looks at her, Daniels included as he glares and says, "He caused this!" But he shrivels back a little when Alex glares and comes back with, "Nothing that has happened is his fault, save some of your workers dying the night his men invaded the camp." Getting in his face, she adds, "Do you need to be reminded that the only reason Burns lived as long as he did is because that man saved him?" "He's dead!" "And that is his own fault! And if you die too it will be your fault as well for opening the damned and cursed chest!"

Ardeth watches as Daniels, unable to meet her infuriated gaze any longer, finally drops his now shaking gun back to his hip. Once again, her piercing eyes seemed to instill in this man a fear that he would dare say even Imhotep hadn't yet put in them.

Turning his eyes back to Alex, Ardeth notes the ice pack she's holding to her neck, the blood that is staining her blouse. They'd encountered him again, and from the looks of it, Alex had received the brunt of his destruction. Also, again.

Well… aside from Burns, who, based on Daniels' previous statement, had apparently been found and sucked dry. That left three other individuals for the mummy to go after still. Ardeth needed to figure out how to take care of Imhotep, and fast.

Silence follows for a moment as Alex continues to glare at Daniels. Then she steps down from everyone else and says, "I want to know why he's here. If you idiots care about saving the whole damn world so much, you'll put your guns away and listen for a change." And then to Daniels again, she adds, "Not to mention if you expect to live past the next twenty-four hours, then you should really start paying attention."

Then she walks up to Dr. Bey, and before he can speak his thanks for not allowing him to be shot at, she says, "And you… remember who I am. You have a tendency of forgetting." She watches the smug look leave his face, which satisfies her enough. Stepping aside, she walks off towards the water basin in the room so she can clean her arm and chest some more, and hopefully check on the stitches to make sure they're holding. And when no one else starts moving yet, she adds, "We're on a bit of a clock here people. Make up your minds. Now."

Rick finally lowers his gun and says, "After what I just saw. I'm willing to go on a little faith here." With that in mine, they all step into the room, prepared to hear what these two men have to say to them. And though Dr. Bey seems hesitant to actually tell them anything, in spite of all the guns that were just pointed at his face, Alex hears the desert man behind her say, "It is pointless to keep them in the dark. He is going to come after them. They may as well know why."

Alex listens from the basin while Dr. Bey and the desert man, whose name she finally figures out is Ardeth Bay, explain that they are part of an ancient secret society, the Medjai, whose sole mission has been to prevent the resurrection of the creature known as Imhotep. "And now, because of you, we have failed."

Alex flinches a little at that, Ardeth's words not exactly being harsh, but not kind either. Of course, she supposes he has the right to be annoyed at them at this point. He'd told them to leave or die. They hadn't listened. And now Imhotep was up and about to conquer the known world.

As she thinks about that a little more, in spite of the fact that she would still absolutely save Rick's life again, she realizes that he'd only stopped the raid on their camp that night because she'd lit the dynamite stick. And he'd known that she would let it blow. He wouldn't have stopped if he'd thought she was bluffing.

So basically, even more so than it being Evie's fault, it was hers. If the raid had continued, maybe they all would've left. Or maybe they all would've ended up dead, but at least Imhotep wouldn't be awake and roaming free. The chest would've never been opened. The book would've never been found. Hell, even Imhotep's coffin would've still been locked up tight if they had all just left that night.

It was on her. All because she'd shown him how willing she was to die keep him from killing every single person she cared about here. And she still didn't give much care to the rest of the world being in danger. Her only thoughts were about protecting Evie, Jonathon, and Rick. But all of them still seemed to be in danger too, and so that was also on her.

Damn it.

Evie glares at both men and asks, "And you think this justifies the killing of innocent people?"

It's not Ardeth or Dr. Bey's response that makes Evie's expression turn from disdain to shock. And Jonathon turns too when he recognizes Alex's voice as the third.

Dr. Bey had answered her with sarcasm and a smug air, saying, "To stop this creature? Let me think. Yes!" Ardeth simply answered with a yes, no smugness or pride in his voice, but assured confidence that it was the correct answer.

But Evie's gaze turned sharply and fell to Alex, along with Jonathon's, when she said in her own quiet and assured voice, "Yes."

When Evie comes up to her side, Alex gives her a wry look before saying, "Believe it or not, sometimes the needs of the many do outweigh the needs of the few." Evie shakes her head though, "You don't believe that. You never have." "I'd never considered the situation of having to decide whether to save the entire world as we know it, or spare a few treasure hunters and researchers."

Turning to Evie, she smiles sadly before assuring, "Oh, make no mistake Evie. I'd still protect you in a heartbeat. World be damned if I can't protect you while it's being run over. But… I get it. From their point of view, from their mission's standpoint… I get it. I mean, look at what's happening."

Evie puts her hands on Alex's shoulders, but then releases her right one when she tenses slightly from the pain. Alex was strong, Evie would never doubt that. But that didn't mean she wasn't still hurt. But before she can comment, Alex gestures back to the group, "Go back. Make sure we get everything out of them we can. Doesn't matter if we agree or not anymore. We just need to shove him back in a crypt and keep him there this time." "Right."

Alex goes back to tending her wounds, unaware of the eyes now watching her. Jonathon is just shaking his head, not in surprise, but with a small smile on his face, as though having half expected that to be Alex's response all along. Rick was watching her too, as she cleaned her wound and then glared at herself in the mirror. It was a glare of self-loathing… one he understood all too well. He'd worn that same look when he'd been in the garrison and a comrade had fallen by his side. It didn't matter if it really was or wasn't his fault, he'd always blamed himself for not doing more to protect or save his fellow soldiers.

And if Rick knew her as well as he was beginning to think he did, she was blaming herself for this whole situation, because of the night of the raid. Because she'd lit the dynamite and made the Medjai leave. Because she'd given their group and the Americans an extra day to make all this happen.

And while Evie comes back to Dr. Bey, Ardeth allows the elder man to speak for a moment without him, as he watches Alex by the basin as well.

Her name was Alex. It seemed fitting that it be her name. He hadn't been sure what her name was, but several of the men under him had tried guessing. Of course, they all came up with very pretty names, names that spoke of beauty or light or heart or spirit or something like that. And Alex had spirit and fire, there was no question. But the names they came up with, the pretty and occasionally frilly names they tried to think up for her…

He looked at her now, glaring at herself in the mirror, bleeding and bruised, but standing tall and still appearing as strong as ever, as though ready to run back into battle yet again.

No, none of the other names would do. Alex suited her.

He's honestly about to approach her, to see exactly what had happened when she'd encountered Imhotep this time, when Rick held up a hand to call attention back to them. "Question. Why doesn't he like cats?" Alex nods that she wonders that too, and Dr. Bey answers, "Cats are guardians of the underworld. He will fear them until he is fully regenerated." Ardeth adds, "And then he will fear nothing."

Alex lowers her head and mutters, "Great. Our only defense against him right now is a harmless cat, and that only helps if we can keep him away from the other three idiots with sacred jars." Looking up towards the sky, she sighs and says, "God help us."

Ardeth is watching her again, raising an eyebrow at her sarcastic tone. She was serious about the situation, but she seemed to have a never-ending supply of sarcastic remarks at her disposal, to make at any given moment. Even a moment as tense as this.

He ponders for a second more, and then decides that it's a remarkable trait to have. The ability to try and put a bit of humor into any situation, to relieve the tension of the moment. Alex was apparently quite adept at that.

Dr. Bey looks at Evie again, while Ardeth is otherwise occupied, and says snidely, "You would be better off hoping he killed you along with whomever opened the chest, than waiting for it to happen as he takes over the rest of the world. You should consider yourself lucky to be such a prime target, while the rest of us will be left to deal with the aftermath of your demise."

For the record, Rick had been watching Ardeth at this point. The Medjai before them hadn't taken his eyes off of Alex for quite some time, so it was impossible for it to go completely unnoticed. And Rick could see the gentleness in the man's gaze, a look he hadn't given any one else that he'd seen the man with. He didn't even look at his own men in a gentle fashion, or at least, not that Rick had seen. But he was looking at Alex with something like admiration or appreciation.

But Rick stopped looking at him and turned back to Dr. Bey, along with Ardeth and everyone else, after what he said to Evie.

Alex spins to look at him so fast that if she'd actually been among the others, they would've jumped at the suddenness of the action. Even Ardeth is looking at the curator in a reproachful manner, and they were apparently supposed to be friends of some sort. He certainly wasn't pleased or approving of what part any of them had played in raising Imhotep from the grave… but pointing fingers and laying blame was certainly no way to approach the subject now. Dr. Bey had always done this though. Blaming Evie for any havoc that happened in his museum. Except this time, at least in Evie's eyes, Alex knew that she actually did think she was responsible for all of this. And Evie… she looks close to tears.

Marching back across the room, leaving her button up blouse behind, a little of the bloodstained water still dripping down her arm and staining her tank top, she marches up to Evie and grips her chin firmly, forcing her to meet her eyes. And for a moment that's all. She just stares hard at Evie.

She had started doing this as a child, when Evie was being bullied in school. She'd take Evie aside, and promise her that she would protect her. And Alex would. Bullies would come, and Alex would get suspended and detentions when she kicked their asses. Even as they got older, Alex always made a point of showing that she was there for them, protecting them.

She would not lose them. Not like she'd lost her parents. And it's Evie's understanding of that conviction that has always made it so easy to believe Alex would always be there, have her back, and take out anyone that tried to hurt her.

Which is why at this point, Alex doesn't need to repeat that she's going to fix this and keep Evie safe in the process. She didn't need to repeat all the promises that she'd already made a thousand times in the past. She simply asks gently, "You got me?" Evie nods after a moment, calmer and able to breathe again. Alex nods in return, happy that Evie understands, and then turns back towards the sink.

Before she actually leaves though, her knife is drawn from her belt and thrown to the side with a sharpshooter's accuracy. The cup that had been resting in Dr. Bey's hands shatters on impact, the dagger lodging itself into the arm of the chair. Dr. Bey's hand was still attached to his body for now, which has Ardeth's eyes widening. Her skill with weaponry was something he was growing to suspect would forever shock him.

Dr. Bey, on his party, screams in shock from the sudden attack. And though he was about to shout obsenities, or maybe ask her who the hell she thought she was… he draws up short when he finds Alex already in front of him, darkening blue eyes attempting to glare holes through his skull.

Dr. Bey had forgotten who he was talking to and who he was dealing with. She'd threatened him before in more subtle ways, and other times in blatant manners. This was the first time, however, that he'd actually truly feared that she might actually kill him for speaking so harshly against Evelyn.

Ardeth, for his part, is smart enough not to get in the way. You didn't have to be a brilliant person anyway to know better than to argue with Alex's rage. The heat from her gaze right now looked to him like it should be able to cut through stone and metal. It was terrifying to most people, as he'd already seen in some of the people she'd looked at while he was around.

But for his part… well, he couldn't help but also find it beautiful.

Seething at Dr. Bey for a moment more, she says through her teeth, "You will curb your tone doctor, or I will curb it for you." "But…" Alex can feel Henderson and Daniels take steps back and edge away when she looks to Dr. Bey again. She wasn't even angry at them right now, but her pissed off look gave them the creeps anyway.

Dr. Bey wanted to retort… to talk back. He chose the wrong fucking time. Alex had never actually gotten in the man's face before. Evie's respect for him had prevented that up to this point. But not anymore. Putting her hands on the armrests of his chair, she leans in close to him. He inches back as much as he can, his eyes widening in terror. And then she explains to him, with venom dripping from her voice, why she doesn't give a fuck if he's correct or not.

"Dr. Bey, your mission is to protect the world from a psychotic mummy from taking over. You're failing miserably by the way." She leans closer when he makes to speak, and he actually whimpers in fear from her proximity. Glaring at him hard, she says, "I do not give a rat's ass about the rest of the world. It has certainly never cared about me. I care about my cousins. And Rick has managed to work himself onto the very short list of people I am willing to die for." Baring her teeth at him for a moment, she adds, "You are not on that list. And so long as I am here, you will not be blaming anybody but yourself for the coming end of the world. If you speak to her that way again, I will kill you, regardless of whatever help you may be able to provide."

When she stands up from him, she immediately turns her glaring eyes to Ardeth. He meets her eyes without hesitation. He knows she's not mad at him yet. He hadn't made the mistake of accusing Evie so falsely and harshly. She was only looking at him now to make sure he understood, her warning would not be given twice. Meaning if he did ever speak to Evie that way, Alex would follow through on her threat of killing him.

Finally, Alex relaxes slightly, though she does ask sarcastically to make sure her point's been made, "Do I need to repeat myself?" Ardeth shakes his head, and then watches as she moves to give Evie's shoulder a squeeze before heading back to the basin.

Touching a damp cloth to her wound, cleaning the last of the blood, she turns when she feels Ardeth's hands gently turning her towards him at the basin. Dr. Bey has taken to answering questions again, all smugness and pride gone from his voice. She had effectively put him in his place, at least for the time being. Ardeth picks up another cloth, dabbing it against her sore neck. Then he asks, "What happened?"

Jonathon, not too far away, comments, "Oh you know. Just the usual when a person decides to tackle an immortal mummy." Alex shoots a glare at him and asks, "Would you rather he have gotten to Evie instead?" "I'd rather he left you both alone."

Alex doesn't contest that, turning back to Ardeth as he gently tends to her bruise and then to her wound as well. Looking to her eyes again, he comments, "You have fire." "That's the fifth time it's been stated in three days. It seriously can't be a good thing." He tilts his head and asks, "And who else has told you this?" "Imhotep. Hence my assumption that it can't be a good thing."

Ardeth freezes momentarily, a flash of fear entering his eyes that Alex hadn't seen thus far from the man. He calms it quickly, but then explains for her benefit, "It means he finds you intriguing, and if he is after you or Evie, he will accept you, but only if he believes he can't get you out of his way fast enough." Then he asks, "Why is he after Evie?"

Alex shrugs at the question for two reasons. The first being, that she truly didn't know. And the second… well, she's kind of distracted from the way his thumb is now gently brushing against the skin beneath her jaw, right above where her bruise is. He's warm, which she hadn't taken the time to notice before, and it feels really nice.

The end of the world is upon them, and the more feminine parts of her character are deciding that now is the time to find a man attractive. Great. Alex had always credited herself with being a woman who did not swoon, pine, or chase after any man. She was worth more than that. She might be stubborn and probably a little difficult to live with at times. But she was worth not having to fight to be wanted. And she'd never before in her life actually met a man who made her feel in danger of ever losing that belief.

That being said… Ardeth most certainly isn't like any of the other men she's ever met. And rather than look at her like she's lost her mind because of some of the actions she's taken, he simply watches her with a calm and patient gaze. Not judging. Mostly he looks as though he's studying or learning her.

His hand is warm where it rests on her skin, his touch gentle as he tends her wound. And for the first time ever, Alex finds herself wishing that she didn't have to leave his touch any time soon. To hell with the rest of the world, she could content herself right here, in his arms, for however many hours remained to them.

She's staring up at him, caught in his gaze, and for a while he is caught in hers as well. He'd never met a woman like her before. And it wasn't just her fire that was so captivating. As he was tending to the bruise and the stitched-up wound on her shoulder, he could tell that the bleeding wound wasn't something Imhotep had done himself. The bruise on her neck was from the mummy. The wound was something else. Something that had been old, but had reopened upon being attacked by Imhotep.

The woman before him had been through much. Her eyes, while they were strong and vibrant and fiery, also held other secrets. One of which was about the pain of her past. He'd seen it as she'd been glaring at Dr. Bey. The man had crossed a line, and Alex had let all her fury, all the pain from her past surface, and channeled it into her threat against him. She had lost much, and it was probably a part of why she wasn't like him, and had no care for protecting the entire world. She only cared for protecting the three people she had mentioned before.

And the wound he was tending to now, somehow it was a part of her limited scope of protection. At some point she had been hurt, attacked by an unforgiving part of the world. And because of that, she did not care for the whole world. She cared for the part of it that held her family.

And Ardeth was surprised himself by the sudden notion that came to his own mind. Because he was even thinking himself, that sworn oath to defeat Imhotep or not, he could see himself sacrificing some of the world, if it meant he could help her protect what she was so willing to die for.

Alex wishes his hand would never move, but she knows eventually it will. Still, she basks in his warmth and his presence, as stupid as it may be to do so.

Well… right up until she hears Evie start talking about what the mummy had called her from the beginning. Ardeth turns too, much more sharply than her, and so she knows something bad is about to be revealed to them. Evie sighs and explains, "When I saw him alive at Hamunaptra, he called me Anck-su-namun."

At Ardeth and Dr. Bey's shocked and worried expressions, she adds, "And then just now in Mr. Burns' quarters, he… he tried to kiss me." Dr. Bey answers, in a gentler tone now, "It's because of his love for Anck-su-namun that he was cursed. Apparently even after 3,000 years…" Ardeth nods in agreement, "He is still in love with her." Evie nods but asks in confusion, "Yes, well that's very romantic, but what has it got to do with me?"

Dr. Bey and Ardeth look at each other again, and then Ardeth says, "Perhaps he will once again try to raise her from the dead." Dr. Bey nods and comments, "Yes. And it appears he has already chosen his human sacrifice."

And… well, Alex can't really blame Dr. Bey for Evie's new panic. He hadn't said it meanly or anything like that. If anything, he'd softened his voice more, to try and soften the blow of his words. But that didn't change the fact that Evie was now the prime candidate for a human sacrifice to bring Imhotep's dead girlfriend back to life.

Shit!

Jonathon comments, "Bad luck, old mum." Alex whips her head to look at him and says, "Jonathon. Shut it." He shuts up, and then Alex turns back as Ardeth's entire hand moves to rest gently against the side of her neck. Now his worried gaze is on her, as though Evie weren't the main candidate.

And maybe she isn't. Sure, Evie was the prime, but if Alex could block the path to Evie… That's what the mummy meant. And that's what Ardeth meant just now. Alex wasn't who he wanted, but Alex would do for the sacrifice if he couldn't get to Evie.

So… she'd just have to make sure Imhotep couldn't reach Evie.

Ardeth must see the resolve solidify in her eyes, because he tightens his grip on her in both a firm and yet comforting way. Then he says softly, just for her to hear, "Do not do anything that would let him put out that fire." "You don't know me. I'm hard to kill." "You do not know him. He is nearly impossible to kill."

And then Dr. Bey comments, "It may not all be bad. On the contrary, it may just give us the time we need to kill the creature." Ardeth then looks up towards the ceiling, keeping his grip on Alex, and says, "We will need all the help we can get. His powers are growing."

Everyone looks up to see the sun, which has become nothing more than a black orb in the sky with light rimming the outer edge. And Jonathon says, "And he stretched forth his hand towards the heavens... and there was darkness throughout the land of Egypt.''

As they're all staring at the darkening sky above, Alex turns to look at Ardeth again, only to find that she's too close to him. Well… too close to look him in the eye anyway, not without tilting her head back further than she'd care too.

It's then that she realizes she's in the same position that Evie had been in after the raid on the camp. Rick had gone to her, and Evie had let him look her over, and then she'd come closer into his arms, allowing Rick to hold her close. Alex had honestly never wanted to be held close before. Jonathon and Evie were the only people she ever really hugged, aside from their parents who had adopted her. She'd probably be willing to hug Rick, but that would be more of a brotherly hug, like when she hugged Jonathon.

But this… she'd never imagined wanting this. To be held by someone not related to her, and to trust them enough to know that he wasn't going to hurt her. He had tended her wounds, he'd pinned her down in a fight but had refused to actually harm her. He'd saved her life from a freaking mummy for crying out loud.

It was kind of obvious that she should feel safe in his arms. That being said, it still surprised her how much she enjoyed being in his embrace. And she kind of considered it a compliment that he didn't even seem to realize he was doing it, or consider it weird to hold her this way. His thumbs were stroking her arms gently as he continued to gaze at the sky. There was concern etched in his features, and the weight of the world was literally on his shoulders. But here he stood, holding her and subconsciously trying to make her feel better and safe in this whole situation.

She felt like a priority. What's more, she felt like a priority to someone that she hadn't even made a priority to herself yet. It was new. It was interesting.

It made her heart speed up, and her hands that were resting on his chest curled to grip the fabric of his robes, further affirming that he was there and holding her, and probably wouldn't let go until she decided to leave.

Then Alex sees Rick nod to himself, and he says, "Right, we should go. We've got work to do." Everyone rises to leave with him, and Alex ducks her head as Ardeth lowers his gaze from the ceiling. His thumbs stopped rubbing, but his hands wrapped more firmly around her arms in a gentle squeeze, comforting her silently.

She doesn't raise her eyes to meet his again just yet. She decides that it would be a bad idea, and maybe would make her not want to leave. Which is definitely not an option. She has to protect Evie and Jonathon, so she is definitely leaving. Nodding to herself, she backs up a step, and feels his hands gently release her so she can return to the basin.

Alex grabs the button up blouse she'd taken off, and slips it back on her arms. She leaves it unbuttoned for the moment, not feeling like trying to deal with buttons at this point. Besides, if the end of the world is coming, why should she care really? Well, aside from a caring about what a certain Medjai in the room thought. A Medjai that she's apparently decided to develop a huge crush on. And only after having met him three times too.

She was turning out to be as bad as Evie. Geez.

Ardeth catches her arm as she makes her way to the door, pulling her back towards him. Confused, she does look up at him now, "What?" Earnest eyes meet hers as he implores sternly, "I meant it. Do not sacrifice yourself to be his martyr in her place. You are more useful in rescuing your cousin than she will be in rescuing you."

Alex stares at him for a moment, wanting to be offended, but not finding it in her to be able to. He wasn't saying she couldn't stop the creature from getting to Evie. He wasn't saying she couldn't make that happen. He wasn't even saying for her to stay out of this fight altogether, which would've really pissed her off. He was trying to be strategical. He was trying to remind her that she was the brawn, while Evie was the brains of this operation. Alex would obviously be the better party to have in a rescue mission.

That being said… she was not, under any circumstances, about to simply just let Imhotep waltz up to Evie and take her away to be a human sacrifice. Armageddon will have come and gone, before that ever happened. So even though she's not offended, she does step up to him and say honestly, "I will do everything in my power to keep them safe. That is who I am. That is what I do. And nobody, not even you who apparently know so much about this creature, will prevent me from doing otherwise."

He stares back at her, the two of them remaining with their eyes locked onto the other's for a moment. Then finally, he smiles just a little before saying again, "You have fire." Alex lets out a sigh, "And that makes six. I seriously need to see if this is a problem I can fix." But she smirks at him a little before joining Evie and the others as they set out to the apartments again.

Ardeth watches her leave, and then turns to Dr. Bey as he asks, "What do you think? Do they even stand a chance?" "Normally, I would say no." Glancing back to where Alex has just disappeared from view, he concedes, "But I am not so sure that is the case anymore. Between all three of them, they may stand a chance." "Three of them?" Ardeth nods, "The smart woman, the strong man, and the spirited warrior."

* * *

As they're planning out their next course of action, Alex doesn't even try to argue as Rick throws Evie over his shoulder and shuts her in the bedroom. He then turns to everyone else, declaring to Daniels and Henderson that she doesn't come out and no one goes in except for Alex.

Alex narrows her eyes at him, for a brief moment torn between wanting to go with him to help get the Egyptologist and protect Jonathon, and also wanting to stay behind to help keep an eye on Evie. But then he motions for Jonathon to join him and looks over at her. Rick nods firmly, letting her know he'll watch Jonathon and do all he can to keep him safe. So, with that in mind, she nods back and quickly enters the bedroom before Evie can try to bust her way out again.

Daniels and Henderson lock them inside, and Evie huffs before she starts pacing about the room. Alex watches her for a bit, taking up a spot near the balcony doors to watch both the room and the street below them. Finally, Evie comes over and says, "He's infuriating!" "That's because he's like me." "I'm not mad at you!" "You would be if I'd locked you in the room." "You wouldn't have!" "Maybe not. But my method of protection is to keep you close to me at all times. Rick is trying to protect you his way, which is to keep you here for now, where he knows exactly where you are."

Evie tries to argue, but then just huffs and says, "He tossed me over his shoulder." "Yeah. I saw that." Evie hits her arm lightly, making Alex laugh a little. And Evie can't help but grin in response, but then adds, "You know what I mean. He went all caveman on me." Alex shrugs, "You weren't listening. He's in soldier-mode right now, Evie. Safety first, comfort and wants later. When he gets back, given that nothing else terrible happens before then, he'll probably try to apologize. Not that it'll be a great apology. He's not big on words and speeches. But it'll be an apology."

Silence again, and then Evie asks softly, "You really think he will?" "Yes." Nodding finally, appeased with that bit of knowledge, Evie relaxes a bit and then can't help the yawn that escapes her lips. Alex nods towards the bed, "Get some rest." "You need some too." "I'll sleep when there isn't any chance of Imhotep coming back to suck those two Americans dry, or kidnap you. Until then, expect my eyes to remain open."

Evie just rolls her eyes, but smiles all the same and changes clothes before sliding into bed. Alex watches her for a moment, and then looks back to the windows and sighs. "You'll be alright Evie. I promise."

And as she looks heavenward, towards the still black sun, she prays that she's actually able to keep that promise.

* * *

It isn't until later, as Alex is looking out the balcony windows again, that she hears a strange sound. Sort of like a grating sound… or like when the sand from an hour glass is working it's way from the top half to the bottom. But by the time she turns around to figure out what exactly it is, Imhotep is behind her. And with no preamble or warning at all, other than the fact that's he's there and obviously about to cause some kind of trouble, he pushes her off the balcony and down onto the roof of the street market vendor below.

Crashing through the tarp ceiling, she groans as she rolls back onto her feet. By the end of this, if her back didn't end up being entirely black and blue from bruises, it would be a freaking miracle. Hurrying towards the entrance of the hotel, she meets Rick and Jonathon on the way. And judging from the fact that it was just the two of them, Alex feels it's safe to assume that they didn't get to the Egyptologist in time.

Crap! Crap it all to hell!

Rick jumps a little when she hurries to join them. Never breaking stride though, he asks, "What happened?" Alex simply glares ahead of her, "He's in there with Evie. Threw me out a damn window. And he looks different." "Yeah, he had pale skin and shit when we saw him." "Yeah, well, now he has tan skin and only a few holes left that actually look like mummified remains." "Shit!"

Daniels ends up trailing them, two drinks in hand, as they dash up the stairs. Rick doesn't wait for Daniels to get out the key to the room, nor does he pause at Henderson's corpse on the floor. He points at the damn cat and then taps Alex's shoulder. And he's pleased beyond belief that he didn't actually have to tell her what to do. Like a soldier herself, she understood the gesture and went to grab the cat as Rick went ahead and kicked in the door. "Hey!"

The mummy, who had actually been kissing Evie in her sleep, turns to them and roars. But Alex is already back at Rick's side, holding the cat in her hands for everyone to see. Rick points and says, "Look what we got!" And as if on cue, the cat actually hisses at him. Like she somehow knows this man is definitely not a friend. Or… well… a man at all, really.

Imhotep, though clearly growing stronger and stronger, and still looking way more human than he did before, still freaks the hell out and vanishes from the room in another cloud of sand and dust.

Rick nods to Alex, who then drops the cat to the ground. Then he turns back to Evie, "You alright?" Evie lets out a huff, blowing some of the hair from her face. She's on the floor beside her bed now, having tumbled there to get away from Imhotep. Rick takes a step closer, but pauses when Jonathon answers the question, "Well, I'm not sure."

Rick might've turned around to glare at him, if not for the resounding smack that filled the air. Then he just grins slightly before continuing into the room to collect Evie off the floor. Jonathon, rubbing the back of his head, exclaims, "What was that for, Alex?" She points her finger in his face, "He was asking Evie if she was alright. You know, your sister? The one who was having her face mauled by a mummy!"

Jonathon has the good sense to look sufficiently berated, and then Alex asks, "How is she?" Rick has tilted her head to the side, examining the side of Evie's neck. And though clearly still not happy about the situation as a whole, he nods, "Looks alright." Letting her head turn back so he can look her in the eye, he asks gently, "How do you feel?" Evie just nods in answer, though she does step closer into his arms. He lets her stay there, holding her for a moment and rubbing his hands up and down her chilled arms.

Rick then glances over at Alex and gestures to her with his head before saying, "You're bleeding again." Alex touches the side of her head to see blood come back on her fingers. But it's not bad, so she shrugs, "He threw me out the window. All things considered, I'm fine. Now, come on! There has to be something we can do. Judging from the lack of an extra companion, I'm guessing the Egyptologist is dead?"

Rick nods, and with only one American left before Imhotep will basically be unstoppable, Alex looks at Evie. Shrugging, she says, "I'm the brawn. You're the brains. So… what the hell do we do, oh brilliant cousin of mine?" Evie ponders that for a moment, and then says, "We need to go back to the museum." Alex raises an eyebrow, but Evie explains, "I think I can locate the book of Amun Ra. The real location. If we can find it… maybe we can actually kill him."

Alex nods after a moment, and then claps her hands together, "Alright. Sounds like a plan to me. Let's get moving!" And when it looks like Daniels might try to hang back, Alex shoves him towards the door and says, "If you want any chance of not dying, you need to stick with us. We might not be much… but we're the best chance you have. Now move it!"

They all head downstairs to the car again as Evie explains exactly where they need to get in the museum so she can determine where they need to look in Hamunaptra. And Alex still huffs at the idea, because she'd rather not go back and deal with Dr. Bey again.

But the world is on the brink of ending. She can't afford to be choosy with how it gets saved. And aside from that, if they get back to the museum, she might stand a chance of seeing a certain Medjai again. If he was still there. And if he even noticed her when she walked in.

God… she's hopeless.

* * *

And here's chapter 5!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: "I do not own any part of the Mummy franchise. Wish I did, because those first two movies were awesome. But I don't. All credit for quotes and scenes taken from the movie, go to the writers, producers, directors, etc. I own only Alexandra Taren, and any original content that I make her do or say. That is all."

* * *

Chapter 6

Back at the museum, Evie is explaining how in the myths, the Book of Amun-Ra should be able to kill Imhotep, if they can find it.

Alex really doesn't understand Egyptian humor. Why would you name a book Amun-Ra, the book of the living, when it was the book that would take life away. And the book of the dead is the one that gave life back. Makes no sense to her.

Regardless, as they hurry up the stairs to the slab, Alex asks, "So you think that because they got the location of the book of life wrong, and it was actually the book of the dead…" Evie nods, "Then the book of Amun-Ra should be where they said the book of life is. We just have to figure out where that is." Alex nods, "But reading ancient Egyptian, on a stone slab, in the middle of a city that's on the brink of undergoing yet another plague of Egypt. No pressure."

Ardeth fights the grin trying to work on his face, moving to stand with Rick as Evie hurries to start reading so they can get out of here.

Alex was about to help, but then her head turns to the side in confusion. Ardeth frowns, wondering what's wrong. But Rick doesn't even hesitate. Coming up to her side, he asks, "What's going on? You hear something?" "You don't hear that?"

Walking over to a nearby window, the others following her, they find that the people of the city are marching slowly towards the museum. They definitely look worse for wear too, and Alex makes a face at them before saying, "Great. Not only are they plagued, but they're practically his zombies. That has to be considered cheating." Jonathon sighs, "And last but not least, my favorite plague, boils and soars."

Ardeth says in answer to Alex's earlier reference about zombies, "They have become his slaves. So it has begun. The beginning of the end."

But Alex grins when Evie says determinedly, "Not quite yet it hasn't. Come on." And she hurries back over to the stone to read. Rick watches her for a moment, and then turns to Alex and says, "She's brave as hell. Gotta give her that. Stubborn as hell… but brave." Alex smiles up at him, "Lucky for us. We'd be in quite the pickle without her." "Damn straight."

Glancing up at the Medjai with them, whom he remembers had stared at Alex for quite a while earlier, he leans closer and asks, "You good here?" Rick looks pointedly at Ardeth, who is remaining at Alex's side for the time being. Alex raises an eyebrow, clearly asking why Rick thought she couldn't handle a Medjai at this point when she'd already tried to kill their mummy friend, repeatedly over the past few hours. He shrugs in response, and then grins when she laughs before saying, "We're good."

Rick doesn't miss the slight blush of color that spreads to her cheeks in spite of her laid back demeanor, though she was clearly trying to cover that up with her smile. But at least for now, he doesn't draw attention to it. They have a world to save. He can tease her about her crush on the Medjai later. If they survive, that is.

Alex stays by the window as he goes back to be with Evie, and Ardeth stays with her for the moment. She stares down at the people who reach the door, sees Imhotep shout at them in Egyptian, his mouth opening far wider than should be possible. Wincing, Alex says, "He should seriously see a doctor about his jaw falling out of socket so often." Ardeth looks at her, maybe almost amused at her relentless sarcasm given the situation. He puts a hand to her elbow, "Let us hope we can kill him before he can make that decision." "Right." She would've stayed there longer, his hand on her arm feeling warm and good again. But then Evie says, "Alex, help me! I can't…"

Right. Because now was definitely not the time to begin swooning or pining for once in her life. Geez!

She hurries over as Jonathon says, "Come on Evie, faster." "Patience is a virtue." Alex starts reading over top of Dr. Bey, but turns when Rick says, "Not right now, it isn't!" The zombies were inside the building. Damn it!

As Ardeth pulls out his sword in preparation, Alex glances at the curved blade. She was certainly up for a fight as well… but it seemed a terrible thing to contemplate right now. After all, it wasn't like it was actually the peoples' fault. They were being controlled.

Regardless though, they needed to survive to see Imhotep get sent back into the ground. Meeting Ardeth's gaze briefly, she gives him a look that clearly says she was not in the mood for this. Then she turns back to the giant stone. She wasn't reading as carefully as Evie was. She was strictly scanning for anything that pertained to the words 'book' and 'dead'. Her eyes flit everywhere while Evie focuses on the line she's currently trying to read through carefully.

Finally, Alex catches the symbols for the Book of the Dead. Pulling Evie closer to her, she points, "What's that say?" Evie reads it all, and then smiles, "We've got it. The golden Book of Amun-Ra is at Hamunaptra inside the statue of Horus. Take that Bembridge Scholars!"

Alex gives her a look and says, "We can celebrate your brilliance later. Let's go!" Grabbing her wrist, she starts sprinting up the hall, everyone following after her. They all rush out to meet Jonathon at the car, hopping in and telling him to step on it so they can get away.

Now, Alex is all for getting the hell out of here as quickly as possible. But when Daniels shoves her as he tries to pile into the back of the car with her, sending her tumbling onto her back in the seat? Well… she's aware that it has nothing to do with getting into the car any faster. Not since his hand had shoved against her ass, rather than just her back or shoulder. And now, he was eyeing her up and down as he 'conveniently' started to fall on top of her.

He didn't really like her. She knew that too. But men who think they're about to die… sometimes they do selfish and stupid things. However impending his death might be though, it does not soften her towards him or the situation he's in. Of all of them, he had been her least favorite of the group of Americans from the start. So, as he begins his descent on top of her, she is prepared to simply break his nose and kick him in the balls if he's actually stupid enough to make it that far.

Before he can even get in the door enough though to begin going down towards her, Ardeth is suddenly there. Like a ninja, he was suddenly in the place that Daniels had intended to be. Which Alex finds… well, strange in both a pleasant and surprising way. Surprising because it was like her, and the way she could move when she wanted to. One minute she was on the sideline surveying the situation, and the next minute she was in the middle of everyone. And that's what Ardeth had just done. She hadn't even seen him until suddenly he was in Daniels' way. And while he stops Daniels from practically tackling her on the backseat, he does get knocked into so he had no choice but to end up falling onto her himself instead.

Well, sort of. If it had been Daniels, Alex is sure she would've been crushed and felt up beneath his weight. Ardeth's strong arms hold him up off her from where he plants them on either side of her. And though his lower half is pressed on top of hers, she is far from being crushed beneath him.

She curses herself for finding that, even given the dire situation they're in, she wouldn't altogether mind if he were the one landing fully on top of her. She blames her hormones for finally kicking in and taking over after so many years of remaining dormant for her sanity.

Daniels seems to be muttering to himself as they speed off, apparently pissed at Ardeth for intervening with his plan to 'cop a feel' one last time. Rick hollers threats at Beni, who had apparently appeared behind them to reveal their location, as they peel away from the museum and take off down the road. Jonathon is freaking the hell out, swerving here and there before finally leveling out and driving straight. Dr. Bey is glancing around in all directions, looking for any sign of a new attack, along with Rick and Evie.

But Alex, for her part, doesn't much care about Beni or Daniels or even Imhotep at the moment. She's caught up in Ardeth's eyes again. Eyes that are worried about her specifically, despite the end of the world quite possibly falling upon them.

"You are alright?" She nods after a moment, reaching up to grip his arms as she tries to finally sit up a little, shoving her other urges to the side. Her heart and her hormones weren't about to sidetrack her now. Not completely anyway.

In spite of that new resolve though, her grabbing his arms and trying to shift to sit up, only brings her face closer to his. Okay, so definitely not her wisest of plans. She can smell him, which she had never imagined herself finding any enjoyment in with a man. But Ardeth smelt like the clean air near rivers and streams, like… like the air you breathe in when you've finally found the oasis in the middle of the desert. She wasn't sure how that was possible, but it was nice.

Great. Now she's one of those women who is being completely stupid because the world is ending. Yes, the world is ending and she's laying here wishing she didn't have to get out from under Ardeth's gentle and concerned gaze. God, he must think she's an idiot.

Of course, if he thinks that, he certainly doesn't voice it. And his eyes, those deep brown and piercing eyes, don't seem to hold any contempt or mocking in them. If anything, she sees a sudden desire enter them that might just match her own.

He pushes up with one hand while the other finds her waist, and he pulls her up to stand in the back with him. Daniels sits on his side of the car now, grumbling more still, but Alex doesn't care. Ardeth is holding her tenderly, just like he had before, even as they fly down the streets, trying to evade Imhotep and his wrath, if they can.

The sudden lurch of the car coming to a halt shoots them towards the front seat, Ardeth's back hitting slamming into it while Alex flies into his chest. And she might've taken a moment to enjoy that too, if she weren't already looking over his shoulder towards the front of the car, Seeing the horde of people standing there, obviously prepared to attack them at any moment, she grits her teeth in aggravation. Looking up at Ardeth, she sees him looking over her head, at what she assumes is probably more people coming up behind them.

His hands find her back, holding her close and protectively as the people get closer. And then the car shoots forward again as Rick shouts, "Hang on!" Alex nearly falls in the seat again as the car lurches forward, but Ardeth helps keep her upright. Tightening his grip on her for a moment, he then asks, "Ready?" Alex raises an eyebrow, and then he grins when she pulls her dagger up for him to see. Already in her hand, she says, "I've been ready. You?" He nods his head approvingly, and then lets her go so they can try and beat away these crazed zombie people who are clinging to the car.

Daniels ends up grabbed, and Alex grabs tight to his ankle and jerks him back towards the car. But her shoulder is wrenched out of socket as three of the slaves attack and then pull him screaming down the back of the car. Groaning in pain, she kicks another slave in the face, and then reaches her arm up over her head and behind her, waiting for the popping sound to signify that it's snapped back into place.

Ardeth, in spite of everything, heard it pop out and was about to help snap it back into place for her. And now, he couldn't help staring for a moment as he watched her fix it herself, not even crying out in pain. And without even taking a moment to readjust, she was already punching another man in the face to knock him off the car.

Then another one grabs her other arm while she was knocking a woman away from Evie's door. He tries to drag her down the back of the car too, but Ardeth grip her wrist and jerks her back towards him. Kicking him in the face to send him careening back onto the road, he freezes for a moment when he hears the sound of Alex's dagger twirling next to his ear. He then turns to see the man she just stabbed behind him falling down to the ground beside the car. Shrugging when he turns back to her, she says, "Switch with me." He moves to her backside, taking out another woman on her way into the car. Meanwhile, Alex pulls out her gun and shoots one that was coming up behind Evie, and then spins again and shoots one of the three that Ardeth is attempting to take on right now.

And then for a brief moment, they are left alone. Ardeth puts his hands on her shoulder, checking to see that he believes it really is back in place. Alex smiles a little in appreciation, but says, "I have handled worse." He glances to where he knows her old scar is on her chest and nods, "Yes, I'd have to agree."

The car lurches again, sending her back into his chest and arms. Tightening his grip on her waist, trying to keep them both on their feet, he sighs, "I do not know that we will make it out of here." And then he can't help grinning when Alex says tiredly, "Now is not the time for being realistic. Don't you know that?" As the car swerves again, Alex tightens the grip on his arm she has right now. And as his breath washes over her hair as he breathes harshly and tiredly himself, she closes her eyes and prays that somehow, someway, they do manage to make it out of here.

Then the car loses control and they careen into a pile of boxes of goods in the market. Jonathon curses at the vehicle, slamming the steering wheel for a moment in frustration. But Alex grips his shoulder and shouts, "Out! Now!" Scrambling out, they all find themselves cornered on the street, Ardeth and Rick holding off the slaves with torches they've managed to find nearby.

Then they all stop, and Imhotep appears, fully regenerated, and obviously not afraid of cats anymore. Dr. Bey, to Alex's annoyance, states the obvious, "It's the creature. He's fully regenerated." Alex could almost turn and smack him upside the head, but instead she opts for maybe moving closer to Evie. Like the Medjai had said before… if Alex could simply make it impossible to get to Evie, then Evie would remain safe.

Before she can though, Ardeth shifts to be in her path of moving. Gripping her arm, his own still stance seems to ask that she follow suit, and not move for now. And while not happy about it, she complies. Perhaps he knew something she didn't about all of this. She was, after all, only just now learning about this curse and shit. Ardeth had been preparing for this event his entire life.

Imhotep then says something to Evie, which Beni translates into English. Very poorly, at that. Alex may not like this situation at all. No matter which way you turned it. But she still can't help smirking when, as Beni translates something else, Evie glares and corrects him heatedly, "For all eternity, idiot."

If not for the obvious doomed feeling now taking over the entire situation, Alex would've probably laughed and patted Evie on the shoulder for her smartass comment. Then Imhotep speaks again, and Beni translates, "Come with me, and I will spare your friends."

Oh yeah, because they all believe that's actually going to happen. Amidst Evie and Rick trying to come up with some sort of a plan; Imhotep switches his gaze to Alex, his eyes cold and his smile mocking.

Daring her. The son of a bitch was actually daring her. Daring her to do something that would make him take her, instead of Evie. And judging from his smirk, it's as though he doesn't think she'd try now that he's completely restored. And yet, though he clearly didn't think there was anything she could do… his smirk grows when she makes to step towards him and in front of Evie again.

He wasn't stupid, she'd given his ancient ass that much. He knew as well as she did, that hell would freeze over, before she did nothing and just let him take Evie. She'd die first.

Unfortunately, he isn't the only one who knows that. And though she's not entirely certain what she planned to do to protect Evie at this moment, she still found it annoying as fucking hell, when Ardeth's arms wrap around her, one hand over her mouth while the other wraps around her torso and traps her arms at her sides.

The options she has for breaking his hold are many… but none quick enough or subtle enough to not cause an all-out brawl. Still, she would've done something… anything to get him the hell off of her. But their time was too short. And before she can so much as bite his hand to make him let go of her face, she hears Evie say to Rick, "You better think of something fast, because if he turns me into a mummy, you're the first one I'm coming after."

Alex's fight leaves her. Evie is going, and it didn't appear there was a damn thing she could do about it. She steps out to join Imhotep, and Alex freezes in shock and horror. No! This could absolutely not be happening. And not only that, but Evie had practically just professed to Rick that she loved him, and would totally drag his ass into being a mummy with her, if he didn't come up with a way to save her so they could be together.

Rick pulls out his gun, and says, "No." Ardeth releases Alex's mouth to grip Rick's arm. It would be pointless to shoot him anyway. If they couldn't kill him with guns before, they certainly weren't going to be able to now. Evie turns and shouts, "Don't! He still has to take me back to Hamunaptra to perform the ritual."

Ardeth nods, "She is right. Live today. Fight tomorrow." Alex stares at Evie, a tear falling from her eye as she says softly, "Evie?" Evie look at her, knowing the terror that is sweeping through her cousin in this moment. It was one of the only other things Alex feared in this world. And that was not being able to keep them safe. It was all she cared about. It was the driving force behind almost every action she took in life. And in this moment… Evie knows she feels like she's failing.

Staring sternly at Alex, she asks meaningfully, "You got me?" Alex stiffens a bit, knowing Evie is referring to all the promises Alex always made before asking that question herself. Evie wasn't giving up. She was buying them more time. Time to find the book, and kill the creature. Time to save her, before it was too late.

And time to save the world. Because Alex might not give a damn about the rest of it… but Evie did. Finally, though she's still pissed off at this whole situation, she nods and answers, "I got you." Evie nods back, a bit of relief flooding her features in spite of everything else. Alex would get her. Even with the possible doom of the rest of the world, Evie believed without any doubt that Alex would get her and save her.

Alex turns to Beni then, once she hears Jonathon struggling to keep the key with him. And Alex knows it's not because Jonathon actually cares about the key at this point. But he knows that with the key, Imhotep can open the Book of Amun-Ra. The book that will resurrect Anck Su Namun, and make it that much easier to kill Evie quicker.

Beni takes it anyway, though his smug smile slips when he meets Alex's gaze. Before this battle was over, Alex was sure of two things. One, was that she would save Evie. And the second, was that she would kill Beni. Or at the very least, find a way to ensure he died a painful death. Whichever happened to be more convenient when she gets to it.

Evie then begins to struggle as Alex hears Imhotep order the slaves to kill them all. Bristling, she hears Rick ask, "What did he say?" Alex growls out, "He said to kill them."

Rick then finds the grate to the sewers, and motions for Jonathon to do down. "What about my sister?" "We're gonna get her back." He then motions for Alex, who wrestles out of Ardeth's grip and then shoves him in the direction of the hole. He spares her a glance before turning back to the hole and away from her heated stare. This time, and there was no mistaking it, she was pissed at him. Rick then motions to her as soon as Ardeth is down, and then he lowers her inside.

She falls into Ardeth's arms, which she quickly scrambles out of. Grabbing Jonathon, she says, "Start walking. We need to get out of here. Now." Jonathon nods, but then Alex freezes when she feels Ardeth grip her arm. "Alex, I…"

She doesn't speak. She doesn't give him warning. She only hopes he can still feel the heat of her glare, even in all this darkness. Spinning around, she launches her fist at his face, hard and fierce as she can. He gets knocked back into the sewer wall behind him, and then falls down completely when Alex punches him again.

Which he let her do. He might've not seen the first one coming. She surprised him with that one, which she took pride in. But the second one… he could've been ready for that. He should've been ready for that. And instead, he'd let it happen.

Alex can't believe she'd started developing a crush on this man. First he'd stopped her from saving and protecting Evie. And now he wasn't even fighting back when she was trying to beat the shit out of him. Gritting her teeth, she turns around towards Jonathon again. His eyes, what she can see in the dark, are wide as he asks, "Alex? What…" "Not now Jonathan."

Rick falls down to join them then, taking a moment to get his bearings. Then he gestures ahead and says, "Come on. Everybody, let's go."

They all start heading down the tunnels, but eventually Rick sighs and confesses, "I have no idea where we go from here." As they all pause and ponder what to do, Alex then turns her head towards what sounds like fresh flowing water. Nodding, she tugs on Rick's arm so he'll start following her. "Alex?" But Jonathon pats his shoulder and says to Rick's confused express, "Just follow her. She'll get us out." "How?" And to that, Jonathon shrugs before saying, "Alex always gets us out. She's just… she can always find the way out. Now, come on."

And sure enough, within another ten minutes, they're above ground again.

Rick looks to Ardeth, finally back in the sunlight, and asks, "Why is your mouth bleeding now?" Alex turns to see that she had in fact busted his lower lip open when she'd punched him. And a small part of her feels bad about that… but mostly she's happy that she made him bleed for what he did. He'd kept her from taking Evie's place. He gotten in her way, and then blatantly held her back from doing what she'd always sworn she would do. She shouldn't feel sorry at all. In fact, she should go back up to him and hit him again. Maybe give him a black eye or something to go with his busted lip.

Ardeth, for his part, simply wipes at his mouth and says, "The consequences of trying to dampen a lit flame. I was prepared to be burned."

So… he expected her to be pissed, and he held her back anyway. She wants to be even more pissed at him for that. She wants to feel like breaking his arm… or threatening to kill him if he spoke to her again.

Instead… somehow it warms her insides to think he might care so much as to hold her back from taking Evie's place, all while knowing she would probably lash out at him after they were safe again. She really was as bad as Evie. Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. She should be furious, and only furious. Consequently… well, she was still pissed. But it was less because of what he'd done now, and more for the simple terrible truth that was staring them all in the face.

Evie was gone. One of the only three people she gave a damn about in this world was gone; about to be sacrificed to bring some ancient bitch back from the dead to rule by Imhotep's side.

When they find her, because they would most certainly find her. But if they did, and Evie had already been turned into this Anck Su Namun; Alex was going to have to add Ardeth to the list of people she was going to kill. And considering she was falling for him, that would suck.

And okay, let's be real. There are at least four people on this planet now that she would die for. Ardeth had wormed his way onto that list.

Damn it.

She refuses to look at him any longer, too conflicted to even try and figure out if she's more mad at him or not right now. Instead she focuses on Rick, "We need to get back to Hamunaptra. And we need to get there fast. Anyone got any bright ideas?"

Silence for a moment as everyone tries to think. Then, though he doesn't look overly confident about it, Rick answers, "Well, I've got one. Let's get back to the car and get going."

* * *

By the time that they reach the airfield and convince Winston to help them, Alex is regretting letting Rick come up with the plan. Aside from the fact that she absolutely hates flying at all, this is possibly the stupidest and most dangerous traveling arrangement she's ever been in. Granted, they don't have a lot of time for exploring other options. Rick knew that Winston wouldn't pass up the opportunity to go on a mission that would most likely kill him. Given that, they headed straight for him.

But Jonathon, Ardeth, and Alex had to be strapped down to the wings, and since Jonathon was freaking out and taking up the right wing with his squalling and flailing, she was tied down to the wing on the left with Ardeth.

As soon as they left the ground and she cringed inward towards herself, the ground rushing beneath them making her want to throw up, Ardeth's arm moves around her waist, holding her more securely to the plane. She wishes she could shake him off, or even want him to let go… but she doesn't. And as they're flying, she thinks about it more and sighs inwardly at how childish her anger really is.

Yes, childish. She can admit to that, at least a little bit. She's not ashamed of being angry at him at all. She still felt she had that right. But she hadn't looked at him at all since punching him in the face. And he's tried. He'd tried to catch her eye, and she'd seen him more than once reach out to touch her, to give her a hand. She had taken to averting her gaze, and stepping out of his reach altogether. She had wanted nothing to do with him. And in the car, she refused to sit next to him. She shoved Rick into the backseat with him and had sat next to Jonathon herself.

Rick, for his part, hadn't argued with it. Sure, he hadn't known her long, but he felt he knew Alex well enough to know that she'd never looked more pissed off at the world then she did right now. So he looked to Ardeth, who was watching the back of Alex's head. The Medjai didn't look ashamed, but he did look a little sad. Not surprised… but sad nonetheless.

Still… he'd expected nothing less from doing the one thing that he knew would piss off such a fiery spirit more than anything else that had happened to her as of late.

And Alex knows he's aware of that. Everyone knew, based on his previous statement, that he'd fully expected her to be pissed off at him. He just probably hadn't expected it to last this long. They were at the air strip and she still hadn't so much as spared him a sideways glance.

But now, as she was thinking it over, she felt bad about it. Because in spite of how much she'd wanted to save Evie, she still knows why Ardeth didn't let her take Evie's place. He knew that between the two of them, Alex would be the one more suited to perform a rescue. Their chances of succeeding in saving Evie were magnified tenfold with her presence here. And not to say anything against Evie, but even Alex knows that her chances of survival wouldn't be as great as Evie's are right now, if their roles were to be reversed. Alex was the brawn. She was the warrior. And that's what was needed right now. They didn't need a bookworm. They needed the scarred and fearless fighter. The one who would watch the world fall apart around her, in order to save the people she did care about.

So, as they're flying, Alex turns towards Ardeth, finally looking at him again, and leans towards his ear, "Sorry I punched you." She doesn't continue looking at him, afraid he'll see just how worried she is about Evie's safety. She can feel his head turn in her direction though, and she thinks from the corner of her eye that she can see him smile a little in relief. Then she feels his lips at her ear as he says, "You have spirit. I would never ask you to hide that. Forgive me."

At that she does turn to him, and then grins a little as her reply, before focusing the air around them and the land below again. He was forgiven. And as his grip on her tightened, secured her more firmly to him and to the wing of the plane, she found herself getting lost in his warmth again, and wishing that the reason they were being held so close wasn't because the end of the world was upon them.

Then the sand storm arrives, and the giant face and mouth appear, and Alex groans before tucking her head down to avoid being blinded by sand and wind. Ardeth pulls her tighter to him and covers her as much as he can while also ducking his head against hers for his own protection as well.

When the sand stops abruptly, she thinks that maybe they're lucky, and Imhotep just can't see that they're still alive. But then the plane goes down anyway, and as it falls apart in pieces as they land, Alex groans and asks, "Remind me why this was a good idea?"

Ardeth looks at her, and then slips out of his ties before reaching up for her and gently pulling her down. Her legs slump when they hit the ground though, so he wraps an arm around her back, keeping her close as he gently turns her head to the side, inspecting her for any new injury or wounds. He then says gently, "Fastest way back to the city. At least, that is what O'Connell said."

Alex nods, once again caught up in his brown eyes, in his attention to her. She was used to prude attention, or even blatant staring whenever her scars were on display. Though she'd never met a man that had ever captured her attention, she was aware that she'd managed to capture others before. Those that either thought her scars were something to shun her because of, or those who thought her scars would make her an interesting person to try and get laid with. Neither of which appealed to her or mattered to her in the slightest.

But this kind of attention, this gentle and caring touch that he seemed to always have with her… it was messing with her head in a pleasant sort of way. It wasn't something she was used to. But it was the same kind of attention Rick had been giving to Evie, and it made Alex feel something like hope inside. Like, amidst all the chaos around them, she'd somehow found that one person in life who could understand her without her even having to explain herself to him. Someone who could look at her and make her feel precious and safe so long as she was with him.

Someone that made her feel like a priority.

His eyes flit down to her lips, and she bit her lower one as a sort of nervous energy filled her belly. The damn butterflies that girls always talked about, but that she'd never experienced for herself. Well, they were certainly swarming now.

And she's pretty sure he even started leaning in, in spite of everything going on around them, like he was going to kiss her. And then Jonathon squalled about needing help getting down, and Alex blinked back to reality. They didn't have time to be doing this. As much as she realized she wanted it, they had to get Evie before that damn mummy turned her into a sacrifice for his dead girlfriend.

Shaking herself awake, she releases her lower lip and says, "Um… we should…" "I'll see what guns have survived the journey." His fingers gently brush her skin as he slides them down her chin, releasing her from his hold. His hand doesn't leave her back until he's sure she'll stay standing on her own. Then he nods and turns to grab a machine gun from the plane. Rick is helping Jonathon down, and Alex is getting her swords and daggers from the seat where he'd stashed them as he checks on Winston, only to find the old man did indeed die in the crash.

Then the plane starts sinking, and Alex very nearly loses her stance where she's standing. Jumping down from the plane, trying to get out of the shifting sands, she finds her arm suddenly grabbed, Ardeth hauling her up and pulling her swiftly away. He then shouts at the others, "Quicksand! Get back! It's quicksand!"

They watch as Winston goes down with his plane, out in a blaze of glory to save the girl, just like he'd wanted. Rick salutes him as he goes, and then turns and says, "Come on. We've got a mummy to kill." And in spite of everything, the three men with her can't help grinning when Alex twirls a dagger in her hand and says, "Now that, my dear friend, sounds like an excellent plan."

* * *

Chapter 6! Yay! For those wondering, Chapter 7 will be the end of the first mummy movie, and Chapter 8 will pick up with the beginning of the second mummy movie. Just FYI. :)


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: "I do not own any part of the Mummy franchise. Wish I did, because those first two movies were awesome. But I don't. All credit for quotes and scenes taken from the movie, go to the writers, producers, directors, etc. I own only Alexandra Taren, and any original content that I make her do or say. That is all."

* * *

Chapter 7

"I'd take those bigger stones first."

Jonathon had been calling out ideas and orders and thoughts since they'd reached this landslide of rocks blocking their path into the catacombs of the lost city. Alex understands, in her own way, that he's not the muscular type… not the one to move big the rocks. If he tried, he'd simply look ridiculous while these two other men and even her were lifting things he couldn't.

Rick had rolled his sleeves up even higher, his arms bulging with the effort to lift the rocks out of the way. Alex had simply removed her button up shirt and was in her tank top, sweat dripping down her neck as she lifted rocks. And she kept finding herself glancing at Ardeth, wondering how in the hell he wasn't burning to death in his black robes and long sleeves. Seriously. Sure, he was sweating too, wiping at his brow occasionally just like Rick, but he hadn't rolled up his sleeves or anything.

In any case, she supposes it's the 'girl' in her wanting to see more of his skin on display than he's currently showing. She needs to get a grip. Evie could be dying for goodness sake. She didn't have time to be daydreaming about what Ardeth might look like beneath all that black cloth covering him. So, she quickly tells that part of her to shut up each time she looks at him.

That doesn't stop her from looking back again every minute or so, but she always berates herself and gets back to work.

As for Ardeth, though he was glancing at her considerably less, it was not for his lack of wanting to look at her. No… he was simply frightened that he wouldn't have the willpower to look away if he looked at her more than he already was. He'd looked once out wanting to see what she was doing when she stepped back, and had then nearly dropped the large rock in his hands when she'd removed her button-up to reveal the tank top underneath. And yes, there was evidence of sweat running down her back.

There was also sweat running down her face, down her neck, and then down to her chest… past where his eyes could follow. And he'd finally jerked his head back around upon realizing how very much he wanted to see past the edge of her shirt. And now he tells himself, he needs to get a grip. He was a Medjai, for goodness sake. And while not banned from sex by any means… he was definitely supposed to have more willpower than this. The end of the world was nearly upon them, and he was staring at a woman.

A beautiful woman. There was no doubting that. And strong, confident, and smart to boot. But right now? No, this was not the time for that. And so he limited himself to only looking at her when she made some sound that he considered to be distressing.

Meaning every time she grunted at picking up a large rock, or seemed to be running out of breath… basically if she made a sound besides normal breathing, he would glance to see that she was still okay. Yes. That's why he kept looking at her. No other reason. None whatso…

Jonathon, at that particular moment, barks out another order, and Alex hears both Ardeth and Rick stop moving the rocks. That is how in sync their current aggravation is with her cousin. Not that she isn't annoyed too. And she's lived with him for a great deal of her life, so the fact that he was annoying her as well was really saying something.

And not understanding that he's about to be pummeled, Jonathon continues, "Take them from the top, otherwise the whole thing will cave in on us. Come on. Put your backs into it." Alex sighs and is about to just tell him to shut up. But then Rick and Ardeth both stand up straight and turn to look at him at the same time, the promise of bruises and broken limbs in their eyes. Jonathon looks at them both, and then says nervously, "Yes, well, you've got the idea. Chop-chop."

He should've left out the 'chop-chop'. But he didn't, and now Alex can see the look of death in Rick's eyes. Not really targeted at Jonathon by any means. Evie being captured was already putting everyone under a lot of stress. But Jonathon ranting out orders and not really helping right now… yeah, that certainly isn't helping Rick's mood.

But… Jonathon is still Alex's cousin. So, before Rick can do something stupid, like punch him in the face and bash it in, she picks up a huge rock that she's well aware she can't actually pick up on her own. Heaving it and gasping at the weight, she drops it halfway down and lets it roll its way to the floor.

Ardeth and Rick both turn their attention to her, concern taking place of their annoyance for a moment. Long enough for Jonathon to be in the clear of a beating. Sighing, she just shrugs at them, "Damn blasted heavy rock. Come on. We're running out of time." And as Jonathon opens his mouth to concur, she says, "Jonathon. Shut up, or I'll punch you myself."

Turning back to the rocks, she picks up another and tosses it aside. Ardeth and Rick join her again, and then Rick sighs, "Always protecting them. Even when he's an ass." Alex grins a little, but raises an eyebrow, "Firstly, him being an ass is part of his charm." And even though she's a bit tired, she still laughs a little when Jonathon makes an indignant sound at her remark. Then she adds, "Secondly, I have no idea what you're talking about." Rick rolls his eyes, but smirks all the same, "Yeah right."

Alex is about to comment on that as well, but Ardeth drops a rock on the other side of her, and then adds in himself, "I've been here even less than him, and even I know what he's talking about." Rick looks at Ardeth, and then smiles, "You know. I'm starting to like him." Alex rolls her eyes, "Just pick up the damn rocks."

Though if she's honest, she feels a bit flattered that Ardeth has apparently been paying enough attention to her these past few days to know her that well. To know her well enough to have grabbed her so she couldn't take Evie's place, because he'd known she would before she'd even really taken a step forward. And to know her well enough to know that she'd distracted them on purpose so both he and Rick didn't waste time trying to teach Jonathon a lesson.

His hand brushes against her back gently, and she's so surprised by the suddenness of the contact that she sucks in a sharp breath. Not loud enough for really anyone else to hear. But certainly noticeable enough for the Medjai behind her to catch it. When he gets back to her side, there is a gentle smile on his face, before he says softly, "You are not hard to figure out, Alex. Your rules in this life might not be 'normal' by some peoples' standards. But they are few, and not hard to learn, if one is paying attention."

Alex is about to ask him sarcastically, why he was paying so close attention to her. It would've been a brief moment of bravery in this… whatever this thing was between them. But she reminds herself that they don't have time for this right now. Plus, she knows immediately after that she would've blushed ten shades of red. Hell, just thinking about asking him that so boldly was making her blush a little.

So no… she'll not be doing that right now. Instead, they continue working. At least, Alex does until she loses her footing once and nearly falls on her face on the rock pile. Ardeth catches her arm and then pulls her back gently. And the flush to her cheeks… well, he chalks it up to her fatigue. Which, Alex is certain, she'll be happy about later. But right now, she frowns a bit when he tells her, "Rest." She shakes her head, "We need to get through." But Ardeth guides her to one of the larger rocks nearby, sitting her down there gently before explaining, "Yes, we do. And Evie will need protecting when we get through. You're no good to her if you can't stand on your own two feet from exhaustion."

She glares at him at him briefly, but there's no real heat to it this time. He has a point, and she knows it. Plus, arguing with him further about this means Rick is working by himself. And since it doesn't look like Ardeth intends to budge until she agrees to take a break, she huffs before crossing her arms and saying, "Fine. But I'm not happy about it." "And I'm sorry to offend you."

And he really is, which she knows as well. Which just makes it even harder to actually be angry at him. She finally just nods back to the rocks and says, "I'll take a break. Just…" "I know." He moves back to the pile, satisfied with her word that she will rest a minute. Closing her eyes, Alex decides to focus on hearing everything around them, trying to hear something out of the norm. But right now, all she can hear is them. The tumbling of rocks and the opening of drafts for wind to get through as the pile becomes smaller and smaller. And Jonathon fiddling with some of the crystal looking stones embedded into the wall. Nothing else. Nothing out of the ordinary.

That is… not until Jonathon suddenly starts screaming.

In a flash, Alex runs over to him and reaches him same time as the other two, and Rick tears off his sleeve to see the bug crawling beneath the skin. Alex grabs his arm and pins the bug so it's trapped in one spot. Jonathon screams again, but this time it's because the bug bursts back out of his arm and then chews its way into Alex's forearm. Jerking back, she curses under her breath and tries to block its path again while Rick gets out his knife. "Alex… this is gonna…" "Just cut the damn thing out!"

Ardeth grips her arm and shoulder to hold her still and steady while Rick gets the bug out, digging into her flesh. As soon as it's gone, he pulls out his gun and shoots it on the ground before it can come back.

Alex then blinks in surprise when Ardeth rips off a piece of black cloth from his robes and begins tying it around her wounds; one on her forearm where the bug went in, and another on her bicep where they got the scarab out at. Rick, seeing she's taken care of, hurriedly goes back to moving boulders and says, "No way they didn't hear that. We've got to move." Alex nods, and then gives Ardeth a look, "I'm helping. Don't you dare tell me to sit down." "I know. And I wouldn't dare a second time."

When she looks surprised at that, he grins slightly and answers her silent question with, "Fire." Alex rolls her eyes, "As soon as this is over, I'm making it my mission to become the ice queen." Ardeth chuckles briefly, unable to help himself. Then moves to help once more with the moving of the rocks. They're running out of time, there's no question of that. There's no way that Imhotep didn't hear that gunshot. He probably had heightened senses for all Alex knew.

When they finally break through the barrier and get into the next room, Rick steps through first and looks around while the others follow behind him. Ardeth goes next, and then Alex pushes Jonathon towards the hole while she looks around to make sure no one's sneaking up behind them.

She's backing out of the hole when two hands gently grip her at the hips. She freezes for all of a second in concern, but Ardeth says, "Come. We must hurry." So, she lets him help her down from the ledge, and then they both turn as Rick takes a shot at one of the ancient mirrors Evie had used before in the burial chamber they'd first gone in.

And upon lighting up the room, Jonathon's eyes went wide at all the gold. Gold statues, jewels, tapestry, even some of the stone. Everything was gold or covered in gold. And as Alex looks around at the other three, she notes that even Ardeth is gazing at the room in surprise and awe. Even he hadn't known all of what was inside. Damn.

As they step down and further into the room, Jonathon asks, "Can you see…" Rick nods, "Yeah." "Can you believe…" Rick responds again with, "Yeah." "Can we just…" Alex and Rick both look at him and say, "No." Snapping back to the present, remembering why they're back here in the first place, Jonathon nods in understanding, though he still looks around the room in amazement.

That is, until they hear the high pitched and squishy sounding moan that comes from behind them. And the hand that bursts up from beneath the floor is something Alex decides should only actually exist in horror movies. It's worse than when the scarabs started piling up out of the floor after Evie had first read from the book.

Rick asks in confusion, "Who the hell are these guys?" Ardeth on his right, standing close to Alex, says, "Priests. Imhotep's priests." Alex stares as they drag themselves up out of the ground and up to their feet. Then she shakes herself and glances over at Rick. Shrugging, she says, "Alright then." She pulls her shotgun from her shoulder and blasts one right in the face, knocking him back a good ten feet, and the others follow suit behind her, shooting them full of lead until the guns they're shooting are out of bullets. Then they hurry backwards to get away, and to find the right statue to get the Book of Amun Ra.

When they finally get there, Jonathon shouts, "There he is! Hello, Horus, old boy!" Alex blasts another mummy in the face, and then says, "Get to work Jonathon!" "On it!"

While he and Rick work on digging out the book, Alex remains at the entrance of this tunnel, blasting away as many mummies and priests as she can to buy them time. As soon as her guns are empty though, she shifts to the side and Ardeth immediately takes her place, shooting while she reloads.

Rick briefly runs up to them, and for a moment Alex stares in surprise when he strikes a match against the stubble on Ardeth's face. Then, as he lights the fuse on the stick of dynamite, Ardeth pauses for a moment when he hears a short sound of laughter from behind him. Turning back to her, he finds Alex has slapped a hand over her mouth. But the grin she was trying to hide was impossible to miss.

At his raised eyebrow, she blushes a little. Though she is about to comment that she's not sorry at all. It was funny as hell. But that's when Rick announces, "Time to close the door." As soon as he throws the stick of dynamite away, Ardeth grabs Alex by her good arm and they all run out of the way to hide behind the statue until it explodes. And thankfully, it takes a few more priests out with it. That would definitely buy them a few extra minutes.

Alex huffs at the dust and dirt that's flying around them. But when she doesn't hear the sound of approaching mummies right off, she sighs and relaxes a bit in relief.

And then… she tenses slightly again. Because what she hadn't even realized before, was that there was very little space to hide behind the statue of Horus. And in light of that… Ardeth had simply pulled her down into his lap, ensuring they were all safely out of harms way. His warm arms were wrapped around her tightly, and once again, she felt so safe with him. A priority. Not that she wasn't to the rest of her family… but he was a warrior. Someone who could fight and die for her, if he chose to. That is how she showed her loved ones that they were her priority.

And right now, in his arms… she felt like a priority to him.

Which she doesn't have time for. But even as she thinks that, when she glances up at him, she finds his dark brown eyes already looking over her. And though she ducks quickly to try and hide it, she doubts he missed the blush that begins rushing to her cheeks and down her neck. God! This was seriously not the time to be swooning over a freaking Medjai.

With that in mind, she quickly hops to her feet, grabs the other shotgun from Rick, and says, "Dig. I've got the door." And she loads up while they hurry to find the Book of Amun Ra.

The reprieve Rick managed to get for them doesn't last long though. And as Alex starts shooting again, Jonathon jerks in surprise. "Alex!" "Jonathon, dig! I got this!"

He goes back to digging as Rick says, "Damn, these guys just don't quit, do they?" Ardeth takes the gun already loaded from Alex, cocks it, and then says, "Keep digging." And then to Alex, he says, "Keep loading." "I…" "You load faster than I do." He pauses long enough to shoot another mummy out of the way, and then turns back to her, "So load, while I shoot. Do not argue."

She glares at him even as she listens to what he says. Shoving the other gun into his hands when he's finished, she begins loading the other immediately.

His hand grips her chin gently, lifting her eyes back to his. Entirely too close for her to continue glaring at him convincingly, he says, "You will have to forgive me the commands I'm giving. I have tried to restrain them, as I am aware you are not a part of the Medjai who serve under me. But…" He glances towards the hole that these mummies keep trying to come from, and then looks back to her, "I am sorry. But this is war, and I…"

Alex takes the gun from him briefly, shooting another priest in the head. Then she places it in his hands, much gentler than she did before. Shrugging when he looks back to her, she ducks her head while admitting, "When we get home I'll work on tempering how mad I get at people for being right before me." And when she sees his grin in response, she knows she's forgiven too.

For a while, they remain like that, working with that system. He shoots, and when he's finished, she hands him the already reloaded gun, taking the empty one and loading in more bullets. Then, finally, she turns when she hears Jonathon remark in awe, "Oh. The Book of Amun Ra."

And then she spins back when she hears Ardeth's shotgun misfire. He tries it again, but to no avail. The gun wouldn't shoot, the priests were still coming, and they were still running out of time. For a moment, Alex simply tries to load the gun she's holding quicker.

Then she freezes when Ardeth spins to look at all of them again. To Rick and Jonathon, he says, "Save the girl. Kill the creature."

Then he turns to Alex. Fingers tracing her face gently, despite all the havoc occurring around them, he grips her chin again. Leaning forward, he touches his forehead to hers. Then he reminds her, "We say you have fire. Prove it. Show him what that means. Save your friend."

And when his eyes open, his grip on her chin tightens slightly. Eyes almost glaring, Alex would say that his next words sounded stern, if he also didn't sound so desperate as he says, "Do. Not. Die." He punctuated every word in that statement, and then released her. And without giving her time to process what the hell he was about to do, he took off into the fray of mummies, battling them, trying to give them enough time to get out. "What are you waiting for?! Get out! Get out!"

Alex literally can't move for a moment. She simply shouts in horror, "Ardeth!" But Rick grabs her by the arm, "Come on!" "Rick! He…" "Trust me! Get down!" She dives down to where he practically threw Jonathon, and then Rick waits a moment longer and throws a stick of dynamite at a wall. Next thing they know, four mummies are taken out in the explosion that follows. Rick glances to look down the hall again, and then turns back to Alex and assures, "He can handle the rest. They're not like Imhotep. He'll be fine."

Eyes widening, Alex realizes that Rick already knows she's falling for a Medjai. Great. When all of this was over, she'd probably never hear the end of it. Still, it was nice to know he'd thought about her feelings, before allowing Ardeth to stay stuck with the other mummies still in the hall. His solution wasn't exactly something she was thrilled with… but it was still enough to appease her worries. For now.

Rick looks at Jonathon after Alex nods that she understands that he's right. Looking him over, Rick asks, "You alright?" Jonathon nods, and then grabs Alex by the shoulder as Rick says, "Let's go!"

* * *

They're running down tunnels and corridors, following the sound of the chanting voices now. They draw up short at the chamber though, and Alex says, "Jonathon, you need to be a distraction." "What?! But…" "We can't save Evie if he's down there when we go after her!" "Alright, alright!" "Take the book. Do not let him get it!"

She and Rick wait near some outlying statues, and then Rick reaches up and grabs a couple of swords, handing one of them to her. She twirls it in her hand, and Rick raises an eyebrow and asks, "You actually know sword play?" "To wield a sword is never a thing to consider play." He stares at her in surprise, so she comments, "My instructor's words. Not the worst advice I've ever been given." And then she raises an eyebrow, "And what do you mean 'you know sword play?' Do you not remember that only a few days ago, I almost beat one of his best Medjai in a sword fight?" Twirling the sword again, she hisses, "Freaking mummy psychopath won't know what the fuck hit him."

In spite of the confidence she instills though, as they watch Imhotep about to run Evie through, it takes everything Rick has just to hold Alex back from coming out early. "Jonathon's got this. Wait." "He's…"

She was going to say that he was taking too long. But then she breathes a sigh of relief when Jonathon shouts from above, "The Book of Amun Ra! I found it Evie, I found it!" And she relaxes her tense posture as Imhotep does indeed put down the blade he had been about to use. Of course, then Imhotep begins slowly marching his way towards Jonathon. They needed to move, and they needed to move fast now.

Even from her imprisoned position, Evie hollers to Jonathon, "Open the book Jonathon! It's the only way to kill him! You have to open the book and find the inscription!" Jonathon struggles for a moment, hollering back, "I… I can't open it! It's locked or something!" Alex rolls her eyes, "You think?" And then of course, after a moment of delay, Jonathon shouts, "We need the key, Evie!"

Alex does freeze again though when Evie answers, "It's inside his robes!" Jonathon takes off with the book after that, and Imhotep follows. Getting the key was to be his job now, while Alex and Rick worked to get Evie free.

Of course, their moment of surprise doesn't last long. Not that Alex had thought it would. And really, so long as Imhotep was kept busy for a few extra minutes, they might be able to still pull this off. But when he does see Alex and Rick storm out from where they were hiding, Alex hears him shout to his priests in Egyptian. And as they all rise and begin trying to charge at them, she sighs and says to Rick, "Alright, let's keep score. Whoever kills more has to buy drinks when this is over." "And if we die?!" "I'm sure heaven has some rather tasty wine for us to try."

In spite of it all, Rick laughs a little before sailing down towards the sacrificial table. He instantly frees one of Evie's hands and she shouts in relief, "O'Connell!" Then Alex slices through the head of a mummy who had been about to come up and grab Evie's newly freed hand. "Alex!" She simply smiles down at her cousin, "We got you, Evie! Hang tight!" "As if I can do anything else!"

Alex doesn't remark on that, though she does smirk at Evie's witty answer. She'll tell her how proud she is later, after she and Rick have managed to get her off this bloody table. Which takes a while. Longer than Alex would like. But mummies… well, they're really freaking hard to kill!

They finally get down to the last cuff on Evie's other wrist though, the priests having been cut down or sliced in half. Rick looks to Evie and grins a little before commenting, "Mummies." And then Alex shouts in surprise as something latches onto her back and drags her to the ground. "Alex!"

But Alex hears Rick go down too before he can get to her. Gritting her teeth as something bites into her left shoulder, she screams in anger before taking a nearby rock and whacking the mummy's head, until it's nothing but dust on the ground. Grabbing her sword again and jumping up, she clutches her bleeding shoulder and turns to see Rick on the floor. Finding his sword, she shouts, "Rick!" He catches it as she tosses it to him, and then she slices through Evie's other cuff as Rick swipes the legs out from under the mummy that was about to crush him. He falls back and the giant slab of stone he'd intended for Rick landed on him instead with a resounding thud as he was crushed to the ground.

As all three move to the pathway in the room, Evie comments, "Alex! You're bleeding!" But Alex just raises an eyebrow, "All things considered, you really shouldn't be surprised. Worry about it later." Rick nods in agreement, and then they all turn as they hear Jonathon shout, "Rasheem oola Kashka!"

And then more mummies come out of one of the rooms. Except these don't look like easily dispatched priests… if you could call the other mummies 'easily' dispatched. No, these look like warriors, with shields and spears. They are ready to fight and win, unlike Imhotep's priests, who had only been prepared to obey their master and fight at his will. But these mummies? They're killers.

Alex huffs, "Great. Nice job, Jonathon!" "Well, I'm sorry for trying!" As they all take their stances and start advancing towards them, Rick spins his sword and says, "Oh yeah. This just keeps getting' better and better." Alex gives him a look now, and asks,"Really?" He looks to her and then shrugs, "Look at the bright side." "We're about to be skewered by mummies! What is the upside there?" "You could be dying alone."

She looks over at him, and then smirks a little, "Touché." Then Evie looks to Jonathon and says, "Do something Jonathon!" "Me?!" "You can command them!" "You've got to be joking." "Finish the inscription on the cover, idiot! Then you can control them!" "Oh. Right!"

And as Jonathon takes off, he doesn't miss when Alex says, "Sooner rather than later would be nice! I'd prefer not to die in a tomb!" But she looks around and mutters to the others, "Though it would be ironic. We're technically already buried." Evie slaps her good shoulder, "Not now, Alex!" "I might be dead later. It's now or never."

As they're backing up though, Alex jerks when Evie screams, and then her eyes widen at the sight of the mummified Anck Su Namun taking off after Evie with the blade Imhotep had earlier. She's about to go after her, when Imhotep commands the other mummies to advance.

As they get closer, Rick screams in their faces. Kind of like how he's screamed at Imhotep the very first time they'd seen him. But these mummies, they just scream right back at him, their mouths opening far wider than should be possible. They should all seriously see a doctor about this problem.

Rick shakes his head finally, and then says to Alex, "Go after Evie." "But…" "I got this! Your cousin can't fight for shit! Go help her!" And… well, it's true. The first time she'd even fired a gun was in the camp a few days ago, when Rick had handed her one for safety. Aside from that… yeah, Evie couldn't fight for shit. So Alex takes off after Evie and Anck Su Namun, while Rick deals with all the others.

And, as Rick had predicted, Evie is about to be run through, when Alex arrives and clashes her sword with the blade. Standing in front of Evie, she says, "Do not leave my side." "Got it! Hurry up, Jonathon!"

As Anck Su Namun and Alex go at it, Jonathon says, "I can't figure out this last symbol!" Evie turns and asks, "What does it look like?" "It's an uh… a bird, a stork!" "Ahmenophus!" And Alex can't help rolling her eyes when, instead of immediately saying it, Jonathon comments cheerily, "Oh yes, I see."

Alex and Anck Su Namun are still fighting, Alex with her back to a wall now. She'd opted for ditching the sword for now, using her own daggers. She was better with them when it came to dealing with someone with a small blade of their own. A blade that was, consequently, entirely too close to her own throat for comfort right now. Anck Su Namun might not be like Imhotep exactly… but there was still a bit of supernatural strength in her grip that was making this more difficult.

Evie screams when she turns to see where they are again. But even though Alex is certain she would've eventually succeeded in this fight, Imhotep shouts to Anck Su Namun from somewhere else in the room, and the pressure Alex feels being put on her instantly lessens.

Though when Alex jumps in front of Anck Su Namun again to block access to Evie, the two go right back to fighting again. Not having really paid attention to what he said before, Alex asks, "What the hell did he say to her?!" Evie answers shakily, "He said leave the one with fire alive. She may be of use to us if we can keep her."

Alex kicks Anck Su Namun in the chest, knocking her back into a pillar. Huffing, she twirls the dagger in her hand, "I'm going to kill him and anyone else who so much as mentions me having fire ever again. What the hell does that even mean?!" She slices into Anck Su Namun's stomach, but the damn mummy just keeps right on coming.

Which… well, at this point shouldn't have been that surprising. It's not like she had any guts to spill. She was the living-dead. No… it was going to take more to kill her than that.

And luckily, Alex doesn't have to come up with a way to do that on her own. Having all the words he needed now, Jonathon finishes the inscription, "Hootash im Ahmenophus!" Anck Su Namun doesn't stop her attack even for a minute. But Alex can feel that in the rest of the room, all other activity has ceased. The other mummies are now under Jonathon's command. And as Imhotep shouts at them in anger, trying to make them respond, they remain immobile, no longer heeding his words.

And Alex decides that one set of words she will commit to memory so she remember how to speak them properly, are the ones Jonathon speaks next. She doesn't even need to understand Egyptian to know that he orders them to kill the mummified love of Imhotep's life. Or unlife… take your pick.

"Fa-Kooshka Anck Su Namun!" And all those mummies that are still standing from their battle with Rick turn and hurry towards them. Alex backs out of the way, dragging Evie with her as Anck Su Namun looks in surprise at the warriors who have now turned on her. She cries out for Imhotep, though Alex can see he had been heading towards Jonathon and the book. Hurrying away as the warriors take care of Anck Su Namun, Alex says, "I need to help Jonathon. Get to Rick! Go now!" Evie hurries away while Alex dashes up some stairs. Meanwhile, Imhotep is already grabbing Jonathon by the throat, pinning him to the wall behind him.

Never breaking stride, she runs at them at a full-on sprint. Grabbing a sword again, she slices clean through Imhotep's arm. Jonathon drops like a sack of rocks to the ground, and so does the arm she just cut off. Mind you, she completely cut it off. No longer attached to the body. Gone!

But Imhotep is unfazed. Tossing off the remainder of his robes and reattaching his arm… reattaching his freaking arm!... he turns on Alex and grabs her by the throat instead. His huge mouth opens before her as he roars in her face. Kicking him in the chest, she watches him smirk as he says in Egyptian, "You have fire. But you cannot burn me. And when I rule this world as my own, I will keep you as a pet, as a trophy to show off to the Gods. Let them see how I took one of their chosen and made her my slave. Let them see my power!"

But then Alex is dropped to the ground, and Rick stares in surprise as Imhotep turns to him, missing his arm yet again. Alex coughs, but somehow manages to ask, "Where were you when I did that five minutes ago? It doesn't work!"

She scrambles back from them as Imhotep throws Rick across the room. Finding Jonathon with the book, he shouts, "Alex! Evie! I've got it!"

And that sneaky, son of a bitch actually did have it. He had the key. Smiling at him, Alex kisses him on the cheek and says, "You are the most wonderful cousin I could ask for." "I will remember that for future reference. Evie!"

Evie hurriedly opens the book and shouts to Rick, "Keep him busy!" "No problem," he says as he lands on the floor yet again. Alex jerks as Rick shouts in pain again, and Jonathon shouts, "Hurry Evie! Hurry!" "You're not helping!"

Standing next to her, Alex says, "Tell me the word I'm looking for." "Pared oos." "You check that side and I'll check this one." "On it." With that settled, Alex glances at the left page while Evie looks at the right. As proven in the museum, they were faster when they were both trying to find the piece of text they needed. And finally, Alex points and says, "Read it!" "I've got it! Kadeesh mal! Kadeesh mal! Pared oos! Pared oos!"

All four of them then stare in shock, yet again, as a ghostly figure of what looks like one of the ancient horse racing rickshaws, soars down the steps, right through Imhotep, and then shoots back up to where it came from, carrying a ghost like figment of Imhotep away.

But the man himself is still here, and as Rick rolls on the ground and grabs his sword again, he says, "I thought you said it was gonna kill him." Alex glances at Evie in confusion, because she'd thought that too. That's why they'd been so desperate to get the Book of Amun Ra in the first place. So why wasn't it working?

But Evie looks confident that something good did just happen. So even though she doesn't understand what's going on, Alex shouts, "Take him out Rick!" He gives her a dubious look, which she doesn't blame him for. She didn't understand what was going on either. But with nothing else to do except try, he stabs Imhotep through the stomach as the immortal approaches.

And even Imhotep looks stunned, and then looks down at the now bleeding wound in his gut. Because he was, indeed, bleeding. Alex tilts her head and asks, "But… how…" Evie sighs in relief, and then explains, "He's mortal."

The man in question, the now very mortal man, steps back into a river of black, the river of souls, and then looks up at them as his body begins to degrade back to the way it was when they first found him. And as he speaks to them, he drowns in that river.

Evie translates for the boys, "Death, is only the beginning."

Then she turns to Alex and dashes over and hugs her. Sighing, she says, "I knew you'd come!" Alex hugs her back, shaking in relief, But she still comments offhandedly, "Duh. You're kind of important to me." Evie laughs, "Really? I hadn't noticed." "Then maybe we should reevaluate how smart we think you are. Because you're only, like, number one on the list of people I'd die for."

The boys look at them both, and then Rick just chuckles while dropping the sword in the river as well, no longer needing it. Patting Jonathon on the shoulder, he says, "Don't worry. I'm sure you're just beneath her." But Jonathon just shrugs, "It's cool. I know I'm just as important. Alex really only has one level anyways." Alex smiles at him, and then says to Rick, "Congratulations by the way. You have now made the cut." "Oh, just now?" "Well, you've been there, but I'm informing you of it now. So, bravo."

They all laugh, but then instantly jerk as the structure around them gives an earth-shaking jolt. Then some of the walls begin moving and coming down, preparing to close off all exits and entrances. Alex throws up her hands, "What the actual hell?! Have we not earned a break?!" Apparently not, as Rick affirms by grabbing Evie and saying urgently, "Time to go."

They all follow as he leads the way out of here, though Alex drops back as Jonathon trips. Dragging him to his feet, she pushes him forward, but then jumps in surprise when Evie shouts, "You've lost the book! Jonathon, I can't believe…" All three of them grab her and shout, "Come on!" And as they continue running away, Alex adds, "You can mourn the loss of the book later. When we're certain we aren't about to die in this God-forsaken tomb. Not before."

As they're running back through the golden room filled with treasure though, Alex grips Jonathon by his shirt front as he makes to pause. Gasping from the force of her pull, he asks, "Oh, couldn't we just…" "No!" Evie concurs, and then they all scramble beneath one of the dropping walls. On the other side, Alex says to him, "And you can mourn the lost gold when we aren't about to die. Not! Before!"

"O'Connell!"

Ducking back down to see beneath the lowering wall, Alex and Rick both look back to see Beni hurrying up the steps after them. That little rat! He'd been here the whole time! Not that Alex hadn't thought he was here at first… but he probably, and most definitely, should've already left by now. It wouldn't surprise her now if he were somehow responsible for the walls coming down. She doesn't even bend down to help, though she commends Rick for making a slight effort.

Beni however, didn't seem to grasp heavily enough that he was about to die. That's what Alex thinks anyways. If he did, he would've crawled faster. But he didn't, and so he couldn't reach Rick in time to get pulled to safety. Jerking out his arm before it can get crushed, Rick sighs, "Goodbye Beni."

Alex raises an eyebrow, "I can tell you meant that." Rick just raises one back at her, "Yeah, well, I'm not gonna cry about it." "Good. Let's go."

When they finally get outside, Alex finds Evie and Jonathon about to get taken out by some collapsing pillars. Grabbing Jonathon while Rick grabs Evie, they drag them back out of the way, and then take off through the sand as a gaping hole starts appearing in the ground beneath their feet. Jonathon struggles to keep up, but Alex doesn't let him go, intent on dragging his ass behind her if she must.

When they're finally clear of all the falling debris, Alex turns back to watch as the entire city just caves in on itself, leaving behind nothing but broken and crumbling walls and mountains of sand. Alex is still staring at it with everyone else, when Jonathon screams in fear and Alex spins around and pulls out a dagger, ready to take out whatever else had managed to follow them out of the tombs in the city of the dead.

But it's Ardeth, and he bows his head to her in peace, even smiling when she instantly relaxes and puts away her blade. She can't find it in her to be angry about his sneaking up on them right this minute. She's too happy to see him still alive. Both of his hands are bandaged, but he seems otherwise unharmed.

She doesn't think her heart has ever felt lighter than this very moment. All four people she cares about are safe and sound, finally. Thank God. And if she didn't think she's begin blushing over her entire body afterwards, she might've very well thrown herself at Ardeth, wrapping him in a fierce hug from being so happy to see him again, safe and sound.

Jonathon still gasps in breath before commenting, "Oh, thank you. Thank you very much." Alex laughs at the sarcasm in Jonathon's voice, and then looks back to Ardeth as he says, "You have all earned the respect and gratitude of me and my people." Training his eyes from the others back to her, he says, "You in particular. The woman with…" Alex opens her mouth to protest, but Evie beats her to it, quickly explaining, "She has vowed to kill any other person who says she has fire ever again."

Ardeth pauses at that, and upon his questioning look, Alex says, "Imhotep said it again while we were in there. I've decided it definitely has to be a bad thing. Don't say it again."

He nods that he will heed this wish of hers, though the smirk on his face said he most certainly still believed she had fire. Then he says to all of them, "May Allah smile upon you always." Jonathon nods, "Yes, well, it was nothing. And I suppose you're just going to leave us here?" Rick gives him a slight salute and says, "In which case, stay out of trouble." Evie nods too and adds, "Because… I guess you still have to guard him."

Ardeth nods to confirm all of that, but then looks to Alex again. And she can see the conflicting emotions running across his face. They match the ones running around in her heart right now.

He's staying in the desert. She knows that. It was his duty as a Medjai to guard the lost city, and keep this from happening ever again. Which means… well, she's not sure what it means. It's not as though they even are anything. She just… well, she likes him. She's falling for him. Where Rick wasn't her type, Ardeth was. He was a man of patience under pressure, grace in battle just like her, and he was loyal to a fault. Not that the other three with her weren't, but Ardeth was… he was different. He was like her, and yet he wasn't as well. He had been raised a Medjai, to protect the world. She had been scorned by the world and had raised herself to protect only that which mattered most to her. She could care less about the rest of the world.

But she would not fault him for being a person who held the duty of protecting the whole world. Just because it wasn't her mission, and just because she would never make it her mission, didn't mean she was angry at him for upholding it as his. It was a great burden to bear, and if she's honest, they were all lucky that he had been carrying it… he and the rest of his people… for so long. She doubts they actually would've survived without his help.

Glancing up at him, she decides she needs to say something so he knows she understands he's staying. Why it should matter to him that she understood… she's not sure. Maybe it doesn't, and all the looks and attention he's given her… maybe it's all in her head. But she smiles anyway and says, "We'll see you around. Or, maybe not, since it would probably be very bad to have all this happen again." Jonathon laughs and begins commenting on how correct she is.

Ardeth and Alex are both ignoring him though. Eyes watching her closely, she knows he can see the tiny bit of sadness she's showing at the idea of their departure. It had been a long few days. She's probably lucky that her feminine hormones aren't forcing her to cry right now.

As for Ardeth… oh, there were so many things he wanted to say. Just to her, he wanted to say so much. But he knew… he knew that there was nothing that could be said, that would keep them together. He had his mission, and he could not abandon it. Likewise, she had hers, and she wouldn't abandon it either. Her family, the three people with her… she would protect them forever. Until the day she died, she would be there to watch over them. And Ardeth knows nothing will change that. Not even her heart… if he could even consider himself lucky enough to now have a place there.

He opens his mouth to speak, still not entirely sure what he intends to say. That's when he looks at her shoulder, and freezes entirely. Frowning deeply, he asks sharply, "Why do you look bitten?"

Alex blinks in surprise at the sudden urgency in his tone. Weren't they past all this by now. But she glances down at her shoulder anyway. And yeah, she's still bleeding. In fact, she'd almost forgotten the wound was there. Shrugging, she says, "One of the priests bit me. I'm fine." But even as she says it, judging from the look on his face, she supposes that maybe she's not as fine as she thinks she is. Sighing, she asks, "What? Am I gonna die now? Because that would suck immensely at this point."

Evie steps over, but Ardeth forces his camel down to the ground on its knees. Holding out his hand for Alex, he says to the others, "I will not leave you here. I will see you back to Cairo. And you…" He looks directly at Alex, "I will take you to the finest healer in the city. She will tend to this. And given enough time, no, you will not die." Nodding, Alex says, "Sounds a bit better."

She prepares to swing on behind him, but he pulls her to the front. Pulling her so she sits sideways on the camel, both her legs falling over the left side, he keeps her in front of him in his lap. Holding her close, he says, "You will rest while we journey. The more energy you expend, the quicker this poison takes effect." "Poison?" "Yes. Poisoned with death." Alex blinks at that, and then huffs in annoyance, "Great. For the record, if I turn into a mummy, I'm gonna be super-fucking-pissed."

Jonathon, on the ground, runs his hands through his hair worriedly, "Shit! Not only do we leave empty handed, but Alex is going to die!" Alex gives him a look, "I'm not going to die, you idiot. And we didn't leave empty handed."

Jonathon gives her a look back, obviously asking what they hell they're leaving with, if they aren't leaving empty handed. And to his surprise, she smirks a little before gesturing to Rick and Evie, who are locked in a heated kiss. Sighing as she leans her head back onto Ardeth's shoulder, she says, "Finally. It took them forever."

And Alex would've waited for them. She really would've. But they still needed to prepare the other camels for the journey. And Ardeth refused to waste anymore time. His worry appeared to increase with each passing moment, which made the others worry as well. And Alex…

Well, she's not ready to die. So she offers no argument with him as he sets off. She only asks desperately, "They'll be safe." Squeezing her closer, Ardeth says, "Your family will be fine. That much, I can promise you. There is nothing in the city left that can harm them now." Resting against him, she nods and whispers, "Thank you." "No, Alex. Thank you." And without further ado, they take off into the vast desert before them.

* * *

They're halfway there when Alex begins feeling it. Her body doesn't just feel tired, but it feels weak and frail. Sighing and shifting, she feels her entire body ache, like every muscle was straining or needed ointment to sooth and make it function again. Ardeth pulls her tighter against his warm body, and she realizes that she even feels cold, despite the heat that is provided by the sun and the desert around them.

Huffing, she says, "This dying thing? It really sucks." Ardeth lowers his lips to her head, kissing the top tenderly, "You are not dying." "I feel like a frail old woman." Ardeth kisses her again and says, "You are not dying." "Because I have fire?" "Because they would not survive losing you."

She doesn't contest that, but then her heart leaps when Ardeth concedes, "Nor would I, for that matter." Leaning back to look up at him, she finds his dark eyes trained down on her. Smiling a little, she curls back into his body and says, "Good to know you care even when we're not facing down a mummy who brings about the end of the world." "The end of the world will come one day, and I will face it head on, as always. My emotions and judgment are never clouded by such thoughts and obstacles."

Alex nods, and when she winces at the motion, Ardeth kisses her head again before assuring, "You will live, Alex. Believe that." "I believe it." "Good."

* * *

In Cairo, he stops at a wooden shack-like building on the outskirts of the city. Entering it alone, he then comes out and gently helps Alex off the camel. By now, it hurts to even so much as breathe normally. Rick and Evie come up behind them and Rick says, "We'll pay them whatever they want." Ardeth cradles Alex to his body, trying not to hurt her more than necessary. Worriedly eyeing her clammy skin, he turns back to them and assures, "There is no cost for this. You have all helped save the world. The woman inside knows this. Be patient. Alex will be fine."

Inside, amidst scented smokes in the air and the heat and plants, Ardeth places Alex on a cot and speaks with the woman in Egyptian. Alex listens as they talk, understanding at least that the woman believes it may take at least the rest of the day before she's well again. It had apparently been a while in her mind, since Alex had been bitten. Ardeth then stresses that he will not leave, and the woman gets to work.

Reaching out for Ardeth, who looks down and then kneels beside her, taking her hand in both of his, Alex asks, "Why do you have to stay? Don't you have… 'cough'… duties… 'cough'… responsibilities?" His hand brushes some of the strands of hair from her face. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, his thumb brushing against the backs of her knuckles, he simply says, "Right now, my duty is to you. To save you." And Alex can't help it. She asks, "Why?"

Her eyes are so heavy now, and it hurts to try and keep them open. But she hears Ardeth say as he kisses her forehead again, "Because you mean much more to me than I ever imagined anyone ever could. You will not be alone Alex. I am here. I will not leave you."

* * *

She passes out after that, and true to his word, Ardeth remains by her side. It takes her the remainder of the day and well into the night to heal. The woman soaks bandages in a special blend of healing remedies, designed to cleanse out the poison of death that was put in her by the mummy that bit her.

Her body goes in and out of cold and hot, sweat constantly soaking her. Ardeth does what he can, wiping her off with a cloth on her forehead, face, and neck.

She was so strong. He knows she feels weak, and she will probably hate the fact that she'd become to vulnerable at all. But if she could only see herself the way he was right now. He'd seen this type of poison take effect before. He'd heard the wailing, the crying, the screams that would fill the night air because of the pain one had to go through. Even in unconsciousness, this poison seemed to almost always demand that type of reaction from those afflicted.

But not Alex. She was sweating, and her body was shaking. Her breath was ragged, and at times it seemed she were about to stop breathing altogether. But she never screamed. She didn't curl into a ball and try to wither away. No… no, she remained strong. So strong.

And when she opens her eyes finally, the stars are out, and she feels fine. Completely and totally fine. Her clothes are damp and sticking to her… but other than that, she feels great. No pain. She shifted her shoulders slightly and it didn't seem to hurt. She was fine.

Thank God.

Sitting up, she then jumps when Ardeth's head jerks up from the cot. He'd apparently fallen asleep at her side. Smiling at him, Alex assures his worried gaze, "I'm alright." He nods, and even though he'd told her that she would be, his hands slide up her arms, over her neck, and then cup her face, as though he needed to be sure of that himself.

Not that she was going to complain. God, she wanted this man something awful.

Smiling again, Alex gently puts her hands over his. Assuring that he looks her in the eye, she says sincerely, "Thank you." He nods to her, but does not let go when she removes her hands from his. Instead, he pulls her close and hugs her head against his chest. And though surprised at first, Alex sighs and melts into his hold. Never in her life had she felt the need to have someone make her feel safe and protected before. It was her job to do that for others. But Ardeth… he made her feel that way.

But he couldn't always. She remains in his arms a few moments longer, soaking him in for all it's worth, and then pulls back. Looking to the woman sitting nearby, she says, "Thank you, for everything." Ardeth translates, and the woman replies that it has been an honor to tend to and revive one with so much fire.

Alex decides to let it slide since she obviously didn't know the new rule regarding that word.

Upon exiting the tent, Ardeth explains, "I sent your family home. They were tired and needed rest." Alex nods, "Thank you." Silence engulfs them, and then Alex sighs, "Well… goodbye. I mean… you're leaving, right? Back to the desert?"

Ardeth watches her for a moment, and then nods, "And you are returning home to your family." Alex nods, and then pauses as she realizes that she wasn't the only one pondering if there was even a chance of them seeing each other again. She… well, she didn't want to lose him. And she hadn't even really been sure she had him until this moment.

But she did. And she knew it because of the look in his eyes. A look that matched her own. He didn't want to lose her either. But they both had their duties and responsibilities. His was to the world, to guard Imhotep's resting place and see to it that he was left in the ground this time. Alex's was to her family, to those few that she would die and kill for.

They were going in complete opposite directions. It was pretty hopeless.

She stares at him a moment longer, and then comes closer. Wrapping her arms around him, holding him tight and hiding her face against his chest and robes, she says, "I will never forget you. Long as I live. I promise." He holds her in return, his lips finding the top of her head again. Sighing heavily against her, he says, "Nor will I forget you. You have my word."

Pulling back, he then asks, "Do you mind if I have this?" He gestures to one of the strips he'd used to wrap one of her wounds from the scarab earlier. And though it seems an odd request to her, she nods and takes the one off her forearm and hands it to him. He nods, and then leans down close again. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, he says, "Your fire is not a bad thing. Never lose it." She stares at him for a moment, but then nods before saying softly, "Goodbye, Ardeth." "Goodbye, Alex."

He's on his camel, preparing to leave, when she edits, "Alexandra." Turning back to her, tilting his head in confusion, he waits for her to explain. And she blushes a little, because maybe it's stupid to want him to know at this point. But she does want him to know, so she says, "My whole first name. It's… It's Alexandra. You know… just so you know it." The gentle smile that graces his face makes her happy that she'd told him. And with a final nod, he replies, "Be safe, Alexandra." "You too."

She watches him ride away until he's out of sight. The only man she'd ever felt something other than brotherly affection for, was riding off into the desert. Would she ever see him again? Would it matter? How was she going to face the world back home, knowing the man she wanted would always be here, fighting to keep them all safe from an otherwise unknown evil force?

Sometimes the world is cruel. Alex knows that all too well. And she curses under her breath at it, for finding another way to screw her over, yet again.

* * *

She spends the next month with Evie, Rick, and Jonathon, planning their next move. The Bembridge Scholars finally accept Evie's application. Alex suspects that the previous curator had something to do with Evie's application never getting accepted in the first place. And so their plan is to move to London, and they are of course bringing Alex with them. Jonathon's coming to, finding a place of his own though. A bachelor pad, as he'd called it.

Alex had offered to find her own place, considering Rick and Evie were getting married and all. But Evie insisted that Alex stay, or at least live in a neighboring house. Even Rick, who Alex thought would've agreed that she needed to get her own space, thought it would be good to keep her nearby. Smiling down at her, he'd simply said, "I'm family now. And that means, just like these two, I get to show you I appreciate all your efforts in my own way. So… I think we should find a place that just has like… a wing Alex could have to herself. We have plenty of money to work with thanks to Beni leaving the sacks on the camels, so that shouldn't be too hard."

It was a week after moving in, and Alex had just settled down in her new room to read a book for a while, when something pecked at her window. And upon seeing the falcon resting there, Alex opened it and tilted her head. "A little far away from home, aren't you?"

Then she saw the note attached to his leg, and he even held it out to her to take. She took it and opened it gingerly, and couldn't deny the tear that fell from her eye as she read.

" _Dear Alexandra,"_

 _I know it has been many days since we last saw each other. I heard you were relocating, and I wanted to give you time for that. Even now, I am sorry if this finds you at a bad time or place. I am back with my people, and we are guarding the resting place. Yes, it still needs guarding. Even more so now. Apparently, the fact that the city caved in on itself drew more attention than even we anticipated._

 _I do hope you are well, and that your family is doing well also. I hope you find everything you are looking for in life and more. If you wish to continue this correspondence, please send a letter back with Horus. He is my falcon, and he will always find me. And if you are wondering how he found you… that is why I took one of the bandages back from you._

 _With much devotion,  
Ardeth"_

Alex just stared at it, read it repeatedly for a good five minutes, and then invited Horus in by widening the window a little more. Picking up a pen and grabbing a small piece of paper, she smiles as she begins writing back, knowing somehow that these letters will be the highlights of her days, weeks, and months to come.

She may never see him again, but she knows no one will ever come close to Ardeth. Even if Evie can convince her to go on a couple of dates now and then, they will never be up to par. She'll always be comparing, and that just won't do.

She'll die an old maid. But she'll have these letters.

And somehow, though not quite entirely content, she thinks she could maybe find a way to be happy with that.

* * *

Chapter 7! And that concludes the events that took place in the first Mummy film. Chapter 8 will begin with the second Mummy Returns, approximately 10 years into the future. Hope you like it so far! :)


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: "I do not own any part of the Mummy franchise. Wish I did, because those first two movies were awesome. But I don't. All credit for quotes and scenes taken from the movie, go to the writers, producers, directors, etc. I own only Alexandra Taren, and any original content that I make her do or say. That is all."

* * *

Chapter 8

 _Nine Years Later:_

Alex turned to see Rick coming down the passage towards her. They'd separated earlier, and were now circling back to meet again, hoping that one or the other had discovered what the noise was they'd both heard moments ago.

For most people, hearing old and weird sounds while inside of a pyramid or crypt wouldn't seem to strange. But… for Rick and Alex? Well, none of those sounds were to ever be taken lightly again.

Shaking her head at Rick, signaling that she hadn't seen anything, she huffs when he shakes his back at her. Sometimes the noises they heard actually did turn out to be nothing. In which case, Alex was always rather annoyed with their persistent paranoia. It was understandable, and she's probably never lose it after what had happened at Hamunaptra years ago. But… well, sometimes it was still rather annoying to figure out that you were worrying over nothing.

Of course, it could also be looked at in the sense that, the one time you decide not to investigate… well, that will definitely be the time that shit finally decides to hit the fan.

And Rick and Alex, even while knowing that their cautions and measures are at times, extreme; they always investigate any sound above that of a bug crawling on the floor beside them. So as Rick pulls out his gun, nodding for her to go on ahead of him down the next passage, Alex doesn't actually voice what she knows they're both thinking. It's probably nothing. But… here they go anyway.

They take turns checking every nook and cranny that exists along the walls, carrying on their search for the next fifteen minutes or so in silence. Then Alex finally takes the torch from Rick and says, "I don't even hear anything anymore. Are we just this paranoid?" Rick sighs, "Possibly. But considering what we've been through in the past, I'd say we're still completely normal." Alex laughs a little, about to comment that she'd never considered herself to be 'normal' in the first place. But then Rick shouts in surprise and shock, and faster than anyone could blink, she spins around to face the same direction, smoothly pulling out a dagger in the process.

Of course, then she huffs in both relief and amusement when it turns out to be Jason, Rick's son. Putting her knife away again, Alex puts her hands on her hips, "Jase, what are you doing down here?" And Rick, still trying to catch his breath, asks, "Jason?" The kid just laughs on the floor, looking between them and their defensive postures before asking himself, "What were you two thinking? A mummy had come back to life?"

Alex looks to Rick and raises an eyebrow before reaching to grab the torch from where she'd dropped it. Evie and Rick still hadn't told the kid how they'd actually first met and gotten together. They told him about the market, and how Evie saved Rick's life. They mentioned the journey to the city of the dead, but… well, they felt it best to leave out the part about the mummy who was resurrected and nearly brought about the destruction of the world.

Yeah. Alex can see how that should probably be something you wait and tell your kid when they're older. Or like… maybe never.

Rick just grins at his kid in response, "I'll tell you a story some time. What are you doing down here?" And as he reaches down to where Jason fell, pulling the boy back to his feet, he adds with a raised eyebrow, "I told you to wait for us in the temple." And as the kid starts to protest, Alex says, "Jason, he's right. It's dangerous down here."

"But dad! I saw your tattoo!" Confused, Rick asks, "You saw what?" And even though she agreed that the kid needed to be back at the doorway of this place, Alex comes closer as Jason pulls the leather strap from Rick's wrist so they can clearly see the tattoo on the back. Jason points, "On a wall by the entrance. There's a cartouche just like it. With the pyramid, and the eye, and the two kings, and everything!" Rick stares at him for a second and then asks, "Really?"

Jason nods eagerly, and Alex grins before saying, "Sounds pretty cool, little man." He smiles up at her, and then asks, "Where did you even pull the blade from this time?" She twirls it out of her sleeve smoothly, and Jason just shakes his head while saying, "That is still the coolest thing. No offense dad."

Rick just grins over at Alex while saying to his son, "None taken. She's been showing me up since the day we met. Now look, we'll be up to take a look at this… um…" Alex leans against a wall off the side and offers up, "Cartouche?" Rick nods, "Yeah. We'll be up to look at that in a minute. In the meantime, I want you to wait for us up there." Jason frowns, "But…" "No buts. Pick up your stuff, I'll see you up in the temple. Go on."

Jason looks at Alex pleadingly for support, but she shakes her head. And honestly, he shouldn't be surprised anymore. Alex couldn't stop Evie from exploring these places. That would've been like trying to stop the sun from rising and setting in the sky. But Alex… well, he was just a boy. She could still make sure he stayed as far away from dangerous places as possible for a while longer. So with a shrug, she says, "Sorry kid, not this time. We'll come up and look at it the Cartouche as soon as we've found this artifact your mom's looking for. Promise." Jason sighs, but picks up his hat and things, and heads off. Turning back to them, he asks, "And what should I do?"

Rick answers, "I don't know. Surprise me. Build a better mousetrap." Alex laughs a little at that, and then winks at Jason, "Extra points if it has more than six steps." "Oh, I'm on it!"

They watch him dash away, and then Rick says, "And now he'll do that, while his mother goes and desecrates another tomb." Alex laughs again, "Yeah, true. But you've got to admit, this is pretty cool and great." "And dangerous." "That's what you're here for." "And what are you here for?" "Sarcastic relief?"

Rick chuckles and says, "We're both here for protection and muscle." "Glad to hear my bulging biceps haven't gone unnoticed." Rick just rolls his eyes, "Yeah, okay. You're as slim as Evie. You've just got thicker skin." "Yeah, well, we can't all be perfect." "Oh, shut up already and take a compliment." "Trying. Never been good at it. You know this though. Don't act so surprised." "Just lead the way back to my wife." "Yes sir."

She salutes him, earning another laugh, and then they both head back to the wall Evie was working on.

"Go away." Alex blinks at the statement, wondering who the hell Evie was ordering to leave her alone, when it was only supposed to be them in here. But before she can get around to asking, she and Rick both barely dodge the snake she's kicked down the passage. Turning back to Evie, Alex says, "Well. Tell me how you really feel then, Evie." Rick nods and adds, "Those are poisonous you know."

Evie just grins at both of them, "Only if they bite you. And what was all that about?" Rick picks up her kit from nearby, moving it closer to Evie's side while explaining, "Oh, nothing. Jason wanted to show me something. I swear… that kid gets more and more like you every day." Evie turns around at that and asks, "You mean more attractive, sweet, and devilishly charming?"

Alex bursts into laughter while Rick just leans in closer to her, "No, he's driving me crazy." Calming herself a bit, Alex adds, "His love for all things Ancient Egyptian is what I believe Rick is referring to, if you want to be specific."

But those two are locked in a kiss right now, and Alex grins at them before moving to the wall. Slipping a hand into her pocket, she touches the latest letter she'd received from Ardeth. It's been over nine years, and they still wrote to each other constantly. At least twice a month she received a visit from Horus, whom she would welcome to stay in her room for a day or two before sending him back home with another letter of her own.

She felt like it was almost as though they were dating long distance. Well, except for the fact that the letters never said 'I love you'. And… well, the tiny hiccup that existed in the fact that there was no chance of them ever actually being together. But she felt like she knew him now, even better than back when they'd met in Hamunaptra. He'd told her of his life growing up with the Medjai, living in the desert, which was not all as bad as some people might think. He told her when he was going on assignments and what he was doing. He told her of his interests outside of being a Medjai, that he liked to read for the most part.

Likewise, she tried to tell him about herself as well. She told him about the fact that Evie and Jonathon and now Rick and Jason were the only real family she had in this world, and it's why she protected them so fiercely. She told him that she loved to read as well, and that she was proficient with any weapon put in her hands. She informed him of her brief childhood before her parents had been taken from her.

She never revealed the details of that night to him, or how she hadn't just witnessed her parents murder, but had been a brutalized victim as well. Left for dead, but somehow miraculously still alive. But she has told him her likes and dislikes, her favorite foods and bands. She told him she still lived with Evie, in a wing of the house that was her own. She told him about Jason and how he was growing up to be just like his mother and father, the best of both of them.

She lived for his letters. Even amidst the dates that Evie had sometimes gotten her to go on. Rick never pushed her to go out for his part, but Evie kept on finding guys she thought Alex would like. But none of them were up to par.

What can she say? Ardeth had set the bar high in her opinion.

However, while Rick never pushed the dating thing, he was a little iffy on whether she should be continuing to send letters to Ardeth or not. ' _You haven't seen the guy in nine years. I just… I get the feeling that this is kind of unhealthy. You're pining for him, and don't tell me you're not_.'

Alex had then argued that she did not pine, even though she did occasionally wonder what would happen if she just up and left, went to find Ardeth, and asked to stay with him, or begged him to come away with her. She knew that was unrealistic and would never happen, but she did imagine the scenario from time to time, where he would welcome her into his arms and promise that she'd never be alone again.

Okay, she pines. A little. But she loves getting his letters, and she refuses to stop. And Rick, while he might put up an argument, knows better than to try to force her to quit. He values his head attached to his body, thank you very much.

Rick comes up beside her now and asks, "Now, where were we?" And they both turn to Evie when she says, "Hammer and chisel."

They look at each other, and then Rick picks the chisel out of Evie's hand while Alex takes the hammer. Literally the tiniest hammer and chisel she thinks she's ever seen. Twirling it in her fingers, she says to Rick, "I think the handle is made from those toothpicks they give out at restaurants."

Rick chuckles and then gives Evie a look. And finally, she relents, "Oh, alright, alright! Let's do it your way." Alex tosses the crowbar up a bit, smiling when Rick catches it easily in his hand before saying to both of them, "Thank you." Then she steps back, patting Evie on the back as her cousin shields her eyes so she doesn't have to watch Rick basically break down the door. Kissing the side of her head, she assures, "It's alright Evie. Rick isn't destroying the door. It's just… not going to be standing in the exact same place when we're done."

As it falls with a crash to the ground before them, Evie holds up her torch and glances around inside before gingerly beginning to step in, trying to avoid all the scorpions on the ground below. "Ever since I had that dream… this place is all I can think about." And Alex can't help smiling in amusement when Rick sighs and follows behind her while saying, "Ever since you had that dream, I haven't had a decent night's sleep."

Walking in behind him, Alex glances around this new room they've finally gotten into. And as she did, a strange sense of déjà vu swept over her, as though for some reason the place was familiar. And as though mirroring her thoughts, Evie comments, "I feel like I've been here before. No… I know I've been here before."

Alex takes to carefully walking like Evie around the scorpions that Rick is carelessly crushing beneath his boots. He holds his own torch as he says, "Evelyn, nobody's been here before; not in at least three thousand years. Except for these guys." But both he and Evie turn when Alex says, "I feel it too."

Evie smiles in relief, feeling slightly normal again for the first time since she originally started having these dreams. It was one thing if she was alone in her feeling of remembrance. It was another to have Alex on board as well. Rick raises an eyebrow at her, "Really?" But all Alex can do is shrug, "Well, yeah. I can't explain it. It's just… all familiar."

Evie nods as Rick says, "Guys… there is no possible way you two have been here before. Until I knocked down the door a moment ago, these guys were the only ones ever in this place." But Alex watches knowingly as Evie pulls on an empty brace for a torch on the wall. It gives, and one of the walls beside them opens. Looking back at Rick, Evie asks, "Then how do I seem to know exactly where I'm going?"

With Rick in the lead now, they make their way further inside the tunnels and catacombs. Rick eventually branches off in another direction and Alex, expecting Evie to follow, glances down at her bag for a moment to check the watch inside. They're still on schedule so far, but they can't waste too much more time wandering around.

She's putting the watch back in her bag, when she suddenly bumps right into Evie. Nearly falling down, she quickly says, "Sorry Evie. Where…"

But Evie isn't falling down. She isn't budging. She's not moving, and she's not responding to anything Alex says. She doesn't even to appear to realize she's been bumped into. Coming up to her side, Alex finds that Evie's staring straight ahead at what looks like another door, but without really seeing anything. She's… well, she looks hypnotized to be honest.

Concern lacing her features, Alex reaches out for her shoulder, "Evie?"

The second she touches Evie's skin though, she finds herself thrust into the same vision Evie is now seeing. No longer in the dark and abandoned ruins of the tomb, she finds herself, and Evie, standing in a well-lit and decorated tunnel. An Egyptian woman from centuries ago is before them. She just opened the door they're standing at, and inside beyond that, are two guards standing on either side of what appears to be some sort of chest. And whatever it is, judging from the pedestal it sits on, Alex knows it must be important. Or… it was important to the pharaoh of the time. Hell, it's probably the thing Evie's been looking for, even if she hadn't previously known exactly what she was looking for to begin with in this place.

And then the door is being shut, and Alex watches as the Egyptian woman turns the knob to the right, then to the left, and then shoves the knob back in before turning to leave.

"Are you really here too?"

Alex turns to look at Evie, who is now staring at her with wide eyes. Glancing around, still not quite believing it herself, Alex says, "Um… yeah." "How?!" Alex shrugs, and then glances down at her hand still on Evie's shoulder. That was when it happened for her. These visions had been coming to Evie for a while now, with no apparent reason that they could see behind them. But for Alex… well, she was only in on this vision now, because she'd put her hand on Evie.

Which just makes her wonder what the hell makes her so special. Rick and Evie sleep together all the time. If Rick was holding her, and that was all it took to share in Evie's visions, then he would've seen some of this stuff too by now. And he hadn't… so why could Alex?

Before she can really get into that line of thought too deeply, Rick begins coming back into their reality. Nodding towards him, Alex says to Evie, "But let's maybe worry about how I'm in here later. Right now, let's see if we can keep your husband from breaking down another ancient door." Evie nods after a moment, and as Alex lifts her hand away, the vision evaporates. Alex briefly wonders if it would've disappeared if she'd let go of Evie in the middle of it… but that's something she'll have to ponder next time. Well… if there was a next time. Given that all of Evie's dreams had led her here, and they were about to get what they were after, maybe there wouldn't be any more visions after this.

But again, Alex will ponder these things when she has more time. Right now, she watches as Evie glances around them for a moment. Clearly still caught up in what her vision had shown her, versus what they were seeing now, she waves her torch back and forth repeatedly. Like she was trying to bring it back, which has Alex raising an eyebrow at her cousin. That is, until Rick interrupts with, "You know, if you move that fast enough, you can almost right your name."

Alex shrugs after a moment and comments, "Her name's too long for that." Rick stops what he's doing and looks over at them again upon hearing the slightly dazed tone to Alex's voice. Evie looks at her too, and then explains to him, "I just had a vision. It was… it was like my dream, but it was real. It was like I was actually here in ancient times." "Evelyn…" "Alex was with me. She saw it too."

Rick looks to Alex, honestly looking for help in this situation. When it came to being skeptic of these types of things, the two of them were usually on the same page. Even given their past experience with a mummy coming back from the dead. But this time… Alex can only nod, "It was… it was weird. Like… like freaky weird. Everything looked exactly the way it used to. No decay or dust… it was all pristine." Rick glances between the two of them for a moment, and then says, "Well, if you actually were here… could you show me how to open this thing? It's being a bitch."

Alex rolls her eyes at that, but Evie steps up and says, "Hold this." Handing her torch off to Rick, she turns the dial the way they'd seen in the vision, and then the door opens. Alex's mouth drops open in complete shock, before she says, "I can't believe that actually still works." And for his part, Rick turns to his wife and says worriedly, "Okay, now you're starting to scare me." To which she can only reply, "I'm starting to scare myself."

Alex looks at them both for a moment, and then crosses her arms defiantly. So what if Evie was having frighteningly accurate dreams? So what if she'd just gotten sucked inside of one? It was still Evie, and it was still Rick, and they were still her people. One of the few she'd still die for in this world without hesitation. So with a shrug and a raised eyebrow, she says lightly, "Well, neither one of you scares me. I can still kick both of your asses. At the same time, if need be."

Rick's shoulders relax immediately and he grins over at her in amusement before going to check the layout of the room before they go in. Evie turns back to Alex though and asks anxiously, "So… when you touched me…" Alex nods, "I got sucked in with you. Like a vacuum, but maybe a little less violently. Still none to pleasant since that was not what I was ready for when it happened. But hey, now we know, right?"

Evie stares for a moment, and then asks, "You're not… freaked out?" Alex raises an eyebrow again, "Immensely. But panicking about such things has never helped in the past, and I seriously doubt it will help us now." Then she smiles gently at her cousin, "Just… we'll figure it out. Later. Right now, let's go see about this chest thing that you've been dreaming about for months."

* * *

As Alex circles the room, looking for other possible booby traps, she glances back at the two of them as Evie says, "That's the emblem of the Scorpion King. He's supposed to be pure myth. No trace of him has ever been found before. No artifacts, no archival evidence." Rick looks around them warily, "Maybe they didn't want anybody to find him." And then he sighs when his wife simply responds eagerly with, "Let's open this."

Alex can't help grinning in amusement as she points out from the side of the room, "Your husband clearly makes a good point of reason, that no one wanted anyone to ever find the Scorpion King, and that's why this was hidden so well. And yet, your immediate response is, 'let's open this'."

To Rick, she fake whispers, "Our lack of fear is rubbing off on her. And not in a good way." Rick nods, though he is taking that statement a lot more serious than Alex is. Not that Alex didn't also think Evie should maybe have a little more caution about such things. But hey… that's what she has them around for. Right?

In any case, Rick turns back to Evie, "Alex's right. I don't know Evie. I don't have a real good feeling about this." But Evie's attention never leaves the box as she comments offhandedly, "It's only a chest. No harm ever came from opening a chest." Alex lets out a bark of a laugh, causing Evie to turn to her in surprise and ask, "What?" Rick just gives her a look and reminds, "And no harm ever came from reading a book. You remember how that one went?" Evie scoffs, "Oh, come on you two. We can't stop now."

Rick sighs, "Just remember, I was the voice of reason here." Evie grins at that, "For once." Alex tosses up her hands and asks, "What am I, chopped liver? I'm on Rick's side." Evie glances to her and asks sadly, "Even after sharing my vision?" Alex just shakes her head, "Yes, even after sharing your vision." Then, upon seeing the slightly disappointed look on Evie's face, Alex sighs, "But… I'm not the one working for Bembridge Scholars, so far be it from me to stop you." And Evie grins, "Precisely."

Though as she goes back to work, trying to get it open with one of Rick's crowbars, Alex comments to herself, "Though is we end up almost dying from opening a chest, I am seriously going to tighten the leash on what you're allowed to touch when we go to these places." "What did you say, Alex?" "Nothing."

Continuing her circle of the room, trying to make sure there were no other booby traps and things like that, Alex finally makes her way back to Rick's side. And upon getting there, she glances at one of the guarding corpses standing nearby. Squinting at it's chest, she reaches out towards the necklace he's wearing, and then can't help smiling at the key she sees there. Maybe there was such a thing as fate, trying to help Evie accomplish this new task of hers. Nudging Rick's arm, she gestures to it, then to Evie, and then just shrugs. Moving away, she starts doing another sweep of the room, while Rick sighs before grabbing the key. Holding it out to her, he says, "Hon? Let's do it your way."

Evie beams at him and takes it from his hands, slipping it inside of the key slot on top of the box. The chest opens easily after that, and as it pops open, shooting out centuries worth of dirt and dust, Evie raises the lid to stare in awe at the golden bracelet inside. And Alex is about to ask what it is, but Evie simply says in awe, "The bracelet of Anubis." Alex let's out an impressed whistle, because yeah, that was impressive. The bracelet was supposed to belong to one of the great Egyptian Gods. Talk about your impressive finds!

Before she can congratulate Evie on that though, she freezes in upon hearing the sound of a gun. The clicking sound of the hammer being drawn back, preparing the weapon for being fired.

Rick knows they're in trouble the second Alex's foot freezes before landing solidly on the ground, her head tilting slightly. It was her reaction to hearing something that was most definitely out of place in whatever current setting they were in. His own reaction to that was to get behind Evie, guarding her as best he could. Then he just watches Alex, waiting for her to point out the enemy to them.

And when she did, it was by spinning around and loosing a dagger from her hand faster than the man in the doorway could even blink. The sound had already told her well enough where he was. Then she span around and saw him, aimed briefly for the gun in his hand, and launched her knife at him.

The shout of pain that followed, plus the gun clattering onto the stone ground, made Evie nearly jump out of her skin. The mystery man glances up for a moment, shock evident in his eyes from the fact that his hand was bleeding, and she'd been the cause of it. Then his eyes widen even more at the heated glare coming from her.

He turns to sprint his way back up the tunnels, and when Rick makes to follow, Alex points to Evie and says, "Stay with her. I've got him."

And Rick knows the moment she says it that she's thinking the same thing he is. They didn't really care so much about the man having a gun on them. They weren't concerned with whether he got away or not. They'd been on enough of these trips now to know that, more likely than not, someone unwelcome always showed up at some point. Not many of them had guns… most just wanted to take some sort of credit in whatever it was that Evie ended up finding.

But this time… well, this guy had a gun. Which meant that his friends, which he was sure to have, also had guns. And it meant that, since they weren't here with him, they were back at the entrance of the pyramid. With Jason.

And if a single hair on his head was harmed when she got there… heaven help them.

She does pause for a brief moment though. As one of the stone walls behind her bursts open, a tidal wave of water pouring out from that point. How the water, as though pouring from a mighty river itself, was now coming through the pyramid in the desert… Alex doesn't know. She also doesn't care. She can't go back to help Rick and Evie, so she grits her teeth and shouts urgently, "Rick! Get the princess out of here!"

Princess? Oh, for fuck's sake, where did that come from? Shaking her head, not having time to focus on that, Alex keeps on after the man who had been about to shoot them in the first place.

They're nearing the entrance when she hears the voice of one of his friends say, "Jacques is gonna make a nice fillet out of you, my son."

Oh… that most certainly would not do. The man she's chasing bursts out into the open and shouts, "Spivey! Jacques! Let's get the hell out of here!" And Alex would've continued after her first quarry, she really would have. That is… if she hadn't seen one of the men in question climbing up the ladder, a knife in his teeth, heading towards Jason.

At least, he was… right up until her blade smacks into the one in his mouth, twisting it violently so it slices the left side of his mouth as it turns. Shouting in pain, he scurries back down and screams, "You bitch!" He kicks one of the braces from under Jason's stand, and then hurries to take off with his partners. Alex chases them for all of a second, but stops when she hears Jason shout, "Alex!"

She glares after the men now escaping, but turns back around anyway. Jason was the priority, that was for certain. Besides, she knew what the other three looked like now. She's draw up some sketches of their faces as best she could, and pass them onto the authorities when they got home. With that in mind, she hurries back to the stand Jason is on. "Jump!" Her nephew looks at her with wide eyes, "Are you crazy?" "Jump and I'll catch you! Now Jason!"

She rarely ever yelled anything to him, so he knew something serious had to be happening. Serious enough for her to not have time for him to question what she was telling him. So, clenching his eyes shut worriedly, he leaps down to her.

And she did catch him. Just… not exactly gracefully. Of course, it's not like when he was two and still weighed practically nothing. He's not little anymore. And Alex is still stronger than a lot of other women in this world. But… well, there was still only so much she could handle from the height Jason was falling from. And so even though she does indeed catch him, as promised, she also ends up landing on her ass in the process, the wind knocked out of her for a moment.

But Jason can't help grinning though when it only takes her a split second to recover from that. Jumping back up, pulling him to stand with her, she then yanks him to the side and closer to his mouse trap when she sees the stand he'd been on about to collapse. It doesn't collapse onto them though. No, that thing calls right into one of the columns that holds this massive place together.

And she finds it rather ironic when, the same way the book cases had been set up in Dr. Bey's museum so long ago, these columns begin acting the exact same way. And as one begins to fall into another, they all begin going down in a domino effect.

When they finally cease, Jason just says in shock, "Whoa." Alex nods, but she can't take the time to worry about that. Sighing, she then says, "I need to find your parents. Now." Before she can leave though, dragging Jason with her, they both jerk at the sound of the last column beginning to shift, preparing to fall into the wall on the far side of this room. Jason gasps and makes to go and try to… well, Alex isn't really sure what he was thinking he'd do at this point. But before he can get so much as a step away from her, she wraps an arm around his midsection and says, "Not a chance in hell." "But Alex…" She doesn't even attempt listening to whatever argument he might have. She just gives him a look and states, "Giant stone column at least seventy feet tall against eight-year-old boy. Not hard to figure out who wins Jase. Do not move. I have to…"

But before she can say she needs to find his parents again, the column finally topples into the wall, and Evie and Rick come sliding out towards them on the water that Alex had seen previously heading back towards them. Tilting her head down at them, she takes a moment to look them over and see that they're alright. And while they are soaked from head to toe, which is not the most comforting of sights to see… they are, in fact, alright. So with a sigh of relief, she turns to Jason and shrugs, "Found em."

Jason just looks around them at the disaster the room now is, and then looks down at his parents, "Mom… Dad. I can explain everything."

Alex chuckles at her nephew, and then moves over to reach down for Evie. Pulling her off the ground, she then helps Rick to his feet. Then she looks down at the damn chest and asks, "Really? We kept the damn thing?" Rick points at Evie in explanation, who simply exclaims, "I spent months dreaming about it and searching for it! I'm not about to leave it behind!"

Then she looks to Jason, then the rest of the room, and she exclaims in even louder shock, "What on earth happened here?!" But before Jason can freak out about how to explain all of this, Alex points and says calmly, "In his defense, I'm pretty sure it was the bandit's fault. Jacques was on his way up to… well, I'm not sure what his plan was for Jason, but I believe I effectively pointed out that it was a bad plan… whatever it was."

Rick wraps her up in a wet hug and sighs in relief, "Thanks." Alex shrugs, "No problem." Rick grins at her for a moment, because she was always this way. He thanked her constantly for helping him look out for his family. And every time, she simply responded as though his thanks wasn't necessary. It's not like she was doing it for him. She'd do it anyway. This was her family, same as it was his. And everyone else could go rot in hell, before they got close enough to hurt the people that were hers.

Then Rick frowns and says, "Now, about this… um… well…" He looks for a moment like he doesn't even know what to say, and then he just blurts out, "You called my wife a princess. What… I mean…" But Alex can only shrug, "Wish I knew, dude. Wish I knew."

And as they all take one last look around the room, Evie can't help but laugh when Alex says, "What the hell is the deal with these people and arranging this shit like dominoes? It's like they're asking for it to all fall down at once."

* * *

It's a few days later, at the ruins of Hamunaptra, where Ardeth is watching as they uncover the Book of the Dead and the Book of the Living. This woman, whoever she was, knew exactly where to look and exactly where they needed to go. They hadn't found Imhotep's body yet, but he felt certain it was only a matter of time.

Then a car pulls into the sight, hauling those three lowlifes back into the camp. They had been sent away to hunt down the Scorpion King's bracelet; the bracelet of Anubis. Ardeth had felt certain they wouldn't survive whatever booby traps had been set in place for that particular artifact. Hell, he'd been certain that they wouldn't even come close to finding it. So, why were they back? They couldn't have succeeded.

He tries coming close enough to listen, but then hears instead the people beginning to scream as the earth in the pit shakes, and scarabs from beneath the ground rise up to try and protect against Imhotep's discovery.

But it fails. The people had no sooner begun screaming then the blow torches were brought out to silence the deadly creatures. And then, to Ardeth's horror, from the other side of the camp, the people also began cheering. The man who had organized this expedition with the woman's help, shouts enthusiastically, "We found him! We found him!"

Ardeth hurries down to that side of the camp, quickly taking over one of the ropes that is being secured around the thickly encased body. He must see for himself that they actually found him. And they did.

The curator says reverently, "Imhotep. It's him! It's Imhotep!"

The woman with him waves her hand delicately over where Imhotep's face must be, as though if he were not covered, she would be tracing his face. And then the black man, Lock-Na, has a large urn handed to him as he says, "Now we must raise those that serve him."

Damn. This was escalating far quicker than any of the Medjai had anticipated. Of course, they hadn't expected the woman that was here somehow know as much as she did. Ardeth is about to try and leave when the Americans come forward, shoving people out of their way. "Get out of my way or I'm gonna shoot you in the face." "He means it, he shot somebody before."

The curator, over his elation from before, says sternly, "Give it to me." And Ardeth's spirits rise slightly when the leader says, "The uh… opportunity passed us by."

All of the curator's joy instantly vanishes, "We need that bracelet." And Lock-Na draws his sword and says, "And we need it before it opens."

Ardeth keeps himself back in the shadows as all of the guns are suddenly drawn up and aimed in every direction. Because if one of the Americans were going down, several more would be taken down as well. But before it can escalate to that, the woman says, "Enough! My dear Hafez…"

Ah, so the man's name was Hafez. Ardeth makes a note of that as the woman goes to his side and says, "I told you I should've handled it." Hafez sighs and explains, "I did not want your past history to cloud the issue."

And then Ardeth tenses again when the leader of the Americans says, "Don't worry. We know where it is. We'll take care of it."

Hafez steps up at that and declares, "No, we'll take care of it. I have a different chore for you now." Then the woman asks in annoyance, "Where is the bracelet?" "It's on its way to merry old London." Hafez looks to the woman, and they both know what that means apparently. Turning back, he says, "Then London is where they must go."

London? London. Why would the bracelet be going to London? Who had found… Before Ardeth can ponder that further, a man from the camp asks Jacques, "What the hell happened to your face?" He glares before responding, "Some bitch threw a knife at me." And then Spivy, to their annoyance, says excitedly, "Like a fucking ninja, she was! Never broke stride or nothing! Pulled it out and threw it, like the damn thing was already in her hand before she even got to the room!"

Ardeth ignores the rest of the conversation, opting to get away from this place as quickly as he can. And though the fact that Imhotep had been found is definitely looming over his head, he finds himself smiling in spite of this horrible situation. The O'Connell's. Somehow, someway, they had the bracelet. Somehow, they'd managed to acquire it when no one else for centuries had been able to.

Well, they'd also raised Imhotep from the dead the first time. He shouldn't be so surprised.

But what has him smiling even as he works his way out of the camp, preparing to take a trip himself, is the fact that if he's going to the O'Connell's, then he's going to Alexandra as well. Alex… who had apparently found reason to somehow slice into a man's mouth so it was much larger than God had intended it to be.

Her letters that he has been getting from her for the past nine years have been like a breath of fresh air every time he opens a new one. She writes her letters the same way she talks aloud, and he imagines that he can see her face as he reads the words on the page, imagines what she would look like as if she were speaking in front of him.

And as he takes off through the desert on his horse, he smiles as he thinks that he wouldn't have to imagine seeing her anymore. He was finally going to see her again after these long nine years. The fates were working with them now, allowing them to meet again.

And he found himself hoping against hope that maybe… just maybe, this time could end differently.

* * *

Chapter 8! Woohoo! Sorry this took so long for me to update guys. It's been a hectic week. Hopefully it won't take me so long to finish editing the next chapter for posting. :)


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: "I do not own any part of the Mummy franchise. Wish I did, because those first two movies were awesome. But I don't. All credit for quotes and scenes taken from the movie, go to the writers, producers, directors, etc. I own only Alexandra Taren, and any original content that I make her do or say. That is all."

* * *

Chapter 9

"You see? I knew there's a catch. There's always a catch. How did I know that?" As they finally get back into the house, having just gotten back from their journey, Alex drops her own bag out of the way by a cabinet and answers Rick, "Because catches seem to always exist within the realm of Egypt, even in the prettier tales. Oh, and Evie is kind of a magnet for finding those catches." Rick points to her, "Exactly! And let me guess, it was commanded by this Scorpion King guy?"

Knowing he's referring to the Army of Anubis, which she's been talking about almost the entire trip home, Evie turns to both of them, "Yes, but he only awakens once every five thousand years." Alex lets out a whistle, "Damn. That's one hell of a hibernation." "Oh Alex, really?" "What? I'm just saying."

Rick points to Alex again in agreement though, and then says, "And if someone doesn't kill him, he's gonna wipe out the world." Evie looks at him in surprise and asks, "How did you know?" "I didn't, but that's always the story." Alex points to him in agreement this time, "Very true." Evie huffs and heads up the stairs, Rick following as she continues talking about the Scorpion King. At the least, Rick might be able to buy them a week of freedom before Evie insists on heading out to find this… oasis of Ahm Shere? She thinks she's remembering that right.

Alex removes her coat and heads off down the hall to the west side of the mansion, which is where her rooms are. Evie had dedicated three to just being hers, that she could use for whatever she wanted. And at first Alex had thought it extensive. She really only needed one room. But then she turned one of them into a work out and training room. The other, well, that was mostly just storage for the clothes that Evie had bought for her that she rarely ever wore. They were clothes to be worn on dates mostly.

Don't be mistaken. With time, Alex has updated her wardrobe slightly. She no longer always dressed constantly in pants and a tank top with a button up shirt over it. She was still comfortable in that attire, but with time she had updated her clothing to have a slightly more feminine touch. She still wore her tank tops, but they were more stylish and dipped a little more in the front. And over them, if she wore anything over them, she wore pleasant colored blouses that showed off her toned arms. She didn't try to always hide her scars anymore. She'd never been ashamed of them before, and she decided she would show that upfront to anyone else she ever met from now on. She wore tighter pants that hugged her legs, still providing for plenty of movement and flexibility, but looked more stylish. And she often wore a pair of short black or brown boots with them. And on the occasion she felt she needed to look really fancy or dressed up, she had skirts to wear over those pants. The skirts came down sideways, hooking on her right side and then dropping in a sharp angle towards her left where they ended right around the top of her calf.

That was as dressed up as she ever intended to get. Dresses could be pretty, but weren't practical. And Alex needed to be ready to fight and defend herself at all times. It was who she was. Not to mention her need to be able to protect those around her that she loved. She couldn't do that in a dress!

Changing into an outfit of solid black for tonight, she puts on the skirt too for good measure, and then smiles at the pecking sound she hears at her window. Opening it and letting Horus in, she says, "Hello boy." He makes a gentle hooting sound at her, and then sticks out his leg for her to take the latest letter.

" _Dear Alexandra,_

 _My work right now is tedious. There is a group of people in Hamunaptra that are digging, and for what right now, we do not know. I am posed as a worker among them, trying to find out information for the elders._

 _The land is desolate, as it should be. But with this excavation, memories resurface, some good and some bad. And there is a woman here who… she knows things. I am not certain how. She did not organize the mission, but she is one in charge of deciding where the work is to be done. I pray it is just by chance that they seem to trust her, and I hope that she is a fraud. But they trust her implicitly, and it makes me wary._

 _I read the book you suggested, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Please send me more suggestions if you could. I fear your letters and the books I manage to read are going to be the only enjoyable part of this mission I am now partaking in._

 _With much devotion,  
Ardeth."_

Not a very comforting thought to know someone is in Hamunaptra digging up what should stay buried, but the Medjai are handling it. Alex takes comfort in that for a brief moment. Then she has to pause and remind herself that, though they were capable of a lot, the Medjai were also supposed to have handled them as well while they'd been in Hamunaptra. And that didn't work out so great back then. So… best to stay wary. Ardeth would inform her, of course, if anything truly terrible happened. She's not sure if he's really supposed to tell her or not… but she knows he will.

She's preparing to write back to him when she glances out her window and at the lawn. And where there should be nothing but gravel and moonlight, there are at least two vehicles in the drive. Frowning, Alex rises from her seat at her desk and says, "Horus." The falcon flies to her shoulder instantly, nuzzling her cheek to comfort her, as though sensing her fear. She feeds him a treat, and then says, "I think you should go and come back later, Horus. I think we have some unwelcome guests."

Ardeth's bird was amazingly smart and nuzzled her cheek once more before taking off back out the window. Then Alex grabbed her daggers and the straps she used to secure them to her body and put them all back on. Heading back up the hall, she pauses and slows her step when she hears someone with a voice she doesn't recognize say, "Good evening."

Alex pauses nearby and her suspicions are confirmed that they have unwelcome visitors when Evie asks, "Who are you? What are you doing here?" "I'm looking for the chest, of course." Jason grabs the chest on the table and the man frowns, "Give it to me now."

And Alex smirks when Evie grabs one of the swords on display in the room and says, "Get out of my house." Jason edges behind her and says, "Whoa mom. Maybe not the best idea." "Jason, get back there." And then at least five more men move up to join the man talking to Evie, and Jason says, "Definitely not the best idea. I think it's time to yell for dad and Alex now."

And Alex tenses and braces for action as the man moves forward and says, "Now I will kill you and take it anyway."

"I think not."

Alex's entire body freezes in shock for a moment at the sound of his voice. It's been nine years, but she would recognize his voice anywhere. And even though she doesn't need it confirmed, she still gasps quietly when Evie says, "Ardeth! What are you doing here?"

Ardeth looks to Evie, "Perhaps explanations are best kept for later. Where is Alexandra?" "Oh! She'll be so pleased. She's…"

The man before them interrupts before Evie can answer his question. Scoffing at the Medjai, he says, "Ardeth Bay." Ardeth nods his head at him, "Lock-Na." So… the man threatening her cousin is named Lock-Na. Alex determines she'll have to remember that for when she kills him.

Lock-Na glares at the three people before him, and then gives an order for his men to advance. One of them, Alex has been watching, is eyeing Jason and makes to sprint towards him.

All heads turn when he suddenly screams in pain, and Alex is there, sliding on the floor between his legs, two daggers held in her hands, having sliced through the backs of his knees.

Ardeth watches as she slides to a stop in front of them and smoothly rises to her feet. Her attire was different then what he remembered… but beyond that, she hadn't changed. She still had fire that burned brightly within her, and as her eyes opened to glance at him, he could see it burning angrily there.

But not at him. He knew that as soon as her lips quirked up on one side. She was happy to see him, just as Evie had said she'd be. But then she turns to the others and is instantly braced for battle.

He doesn't think he's ever loved her more than in that moment. How she managed to gain the opportunity to see him, to let him know she was glad for his presence, without even saying a word and without losing sight of the task at hand. And for her, that was to protect her family. They would have time for 'hellos' and 'how have you beens' later. Right now… there was work to be done.

Alex glares at Lock-Na, who is now staring at her in surprise. She tilts her head, twirling the daggers in her hands while Evie grabs another sword to give her. Smirking a little, Alex asks, "I'm sorry. Did you actually think this would be easy?"

Lock-Na shouts at his men to go, and Alex pushes Evie back and says, "Stay with Jason." And then she and Ardeth take on the four that are coming right for them.

Skilled as they are though, it's impossible for Ardeth and Alex to handle all of the men on their own. Alex briefly glances at Evie and asks, "Where the hell is Rick?!" "He's with Jonathon!" Right… because now Jonathon was here too. Great.

As one of the men finally manages to slip past Alex and Ardeth, the Medjai briefly worries that Alex will abandon her post beside him to run to their aid. Not that he would blame her, but he would still worry about her more if she wasn't where he could see her in the corner of his eye. But to his surprise, and Alex's smiling pleasure, they suddenly hear Jason shout excitedly, "Whoa, mom! Where did you learn to do that?" Briefly, because she knows neither of her teachers showed her that move in particularly, Evie gasps out, "I have no idea." But as she continues fighting, Alex listening to her in the background, she can't help but laugh to herself when Evie then says, "That I learned from your aunt and father."

Alex slices one of these red caped heathens in the chest, and then hears Lock-Na from behind her say, "Not bad, for a Medjai." She spins to see him, and he smirks, "Nor the new female addition to his party." Tilting her head, she says, "I'm not…" But then she hears Jason shout, "Let go!"

She turns to see him thrown onto the floor, and she shouts, "Hey!" The man turns and his eyes widen in fear as she marches towards him. "Leave my nephew the hell alone!"

Ardeth breaks the arm of one man before asking to confirm, "What's in the chest?!" He needs to be certain this is worth risking all of their lives to protect. Alex would never forgive him if it weren't that important. Evie turns to him though and answers, "The bracelet of Anubis!" And as another man appears behind Jason, Alex runs him through with her sword before pulling out two daggers again and twirling them while she faces the man with the chest in front of her.

She comes at him too fast for him to think about what would be the smarter option. He drops the chest and grabs his sword again to defend himself. Alex slices at both his arms, and then shouts, "Evie. Get it!" She does and then pleads, "Help Jason, please Alex!" "I'm on it!"

Then she hears Ardeth say from nearby, "They must not get the bracelet! Get it and get out of here!"

Alex has just taken down another one of these men. Seriously… these guys seem to be coming from everywhere. Two more were beginning to try and come at her from behind, when Jason topples a bookcase over on top of them. Alex turns to look for a moment, and then smirks, "Good job kid."

He smiles, high-fiving her before she turns back to fight again. But she freezes again when Jason then shouts, "Mom! Behind you!"

Alex spins in time to see someone deck Evie in the face, knocking her unconscious. And though she makes to run for her, two more men appear in front of her, forcing her to deal with them first. And as her cousin falls to the ground, red-clad men diving towards her, Alex sceams, "EVIE!"

Upon hearing her terrified scream, Ardeth turns to see what's happening and shouts, "Evelyn!" And for a moment, it gives Lock-Na the upper hand. Long enough for the leader of this troop to cut Ardeth across the one of his arms, and then send him flying over the couch in the middle of the room.

One of the men who had run after Evie, a large and bulky one compared to the rest, grabs her off the ground and throws her over his shoulder. Then in his other hand, he grabs the chest and starts marching out of the house. Lock-Na turns in the doorway and pulls out a huge blade of his own, hurling it across the room towards Ardeth.

It misses him by an inch, and he notes that the only reason it did was because Alex spared a dagger to throw in its path, knocking it off and away from him just enough. He glances over at her, intending to nod his gratitude, when his eyes widened at her appearance.

He'd never seen such fury in her eyes before. And perhaps that was because he hadn't been looking in her eyes nine years ago, when he'd stopped her from forcing Imhotep to take her instead of Evie back to Hamunaptra. But this… hell's fury could not have possibly burned any brighter than what he was seeing in her eyes right now.

She breaks the back of the last man she's currently fighting, leaving him on the ground to struggle and try and gasp in his last few breaths. Then, without so much as giving him another sideways glance, she scrambles to gather the other daggers she'd thrown from her belt this evening. She may not even grab them all, she doesn't know. She just finds the ones closest by, and then grabs Jason. Hauling him to his feet, she draws him back from giving chase himself. Thrusting him into Ardeth's arms, she says to both of them, "Stay with him!"

And as she takes off from the house, Jason and Ardeth look at each other briefly… neither really sure which one the statement was more meant for at this point. In the end, it didn't matter though. Alex's horrified scream reaches them from up the hallway, "EVIE! EVIE!" And the terror within that frantic sound gives Ardeth all the cause he needs to get back into motion. Keeping the boy close, he grabs his own swords and hurries to follow after her and Evie.

The terror he could still hear in her voice as she continued to scream as she ran, made his heart feel like it was breaking for her. The only other time he'd seen her so terrified aside from now, was when Imhotep had taken Evie back to Hamunaptra to be sacrificed. And that had been his fault in a way, because he had stopped her from taking Evie's place. And even though he hadn't seen her eyes back then, he'd felt it in her body. The frozen tension she'd had in his arms as he'd held her back.

He still did not regret the decision he made at that time. But even so, the sight of Alex being terrified, is something he'd promised himself he'd never have to see again. And it was indeed breaking his heart a little to realize he'd failed.

Alex was barreling down the halls screaming for Evie when finally, without any actual reason that she could fathom at this moment, she shouts, "PRINCESS!" Her eyes glaze over even as she continues to run. And for a moment, it was like when she'd been sucked into Evelyn's vision. She was back in the halls of some ancient Egyptian palace, running down the corridors to get somewhere very important.

It vanished as quickly as it appeared before her, and in any other circumstance, she probably would've stopped and tried to determine what the hell had just happened. But she has no time for that right now, and so she pushes it to the back of her mind, and continues sprinting until she's outside and chasing the vehicles that were already driving away.

Evie's face appeared in the rear mirror and she yelled, "ALEX! RICK!" Alex hears Rick from somewhere behind her shout, "EVELYN!" And then more gunfire from another vehicle coming up behind her makes Alex have to switch targets, which she is none too happy about as she watches Evie get drugged in the rear window. A bullet grazes her thigh, but that pain is nothing compared to how pissed she is at these people.

Spinning around, she pulls out another dagger and hurls it at the driver of the car behind her. He swerves, but only so it doesn't hit him. It hits the man next to him as it sails through the windshield. Diving out of the way of the still oncoming vehicle, Alex avoids being run over, and then hops up and hurls another dagger towards the rear window. She faintly hears someone else shout in shock as she hits one of those in the backseat.

Panting, she turns and runs back to the house as Rick and Jonathon are rising to their feet. "Dad! Dad!" Ardeth is right behind Jason as he runs into Rick's arms, and Rick does take a moment to be relieved that at least Jason was alright. But as soon as Ardeth nods in greetings to Rick, the man grabs the Medjai by the front of his robes. Hauling him around and pinning him to the statue behind him, Rick demands, "What the hell are you doing here?"

Alex knows his anger at Ardeth is two-sided. One side is because it means his family is probably about to be dragged into something like they were last time, and he's not okay with that. The other side… is because of her. Because he's against the letters and against the idea of her pining for him. Not that she'd admit that she was and not that Rick would actually tell Ardeth that… but she knows it's why Rick is so pissed right now.

But then Rick says, "Scratch that, I don't care. Who are those guys and where are they taking my wife?" Ardeth, hands in the air at his sides in a peaceful gesture, reaches out for Rick and says, "My friend, I'm not sure. But wherever this man is, your wife will surely be." He shows them a photo of Hafez, and Alex moves behind Jason to look at it.

Then Jason jerks it down and says, "Hey, I know him. He's the curator, he works at the British Museum." Ardeth stares at him in surprise, "Are you sure?" Rick just sighs and nods, "You better believe him. He spends more time there than he does at home." Alex grabs Jason in a hug, and then says to Rick, "I love this kid. I'll be back. Jonathon, get the car. Now!" And as Jonathon scrambles off, Alex dashes back to the house to get some of her blades and daggers that she leaves by the front door all the time.

Joining them again, Rick watches her stash some away. Raising an eyebrow, he says, "I thought you had to go to your room." "These were by the door." "Since when do you keep those by the door?" "Always. Ever since we moved in." "Why?"

And though Rick's eyes are still wide, Ardeth can't help grinning when Alex replies in an obvious tone, "In case I need to kill whoever is at the door. Obviously. Get with the program Rick." "There's a gun by the door!" "Which you have to load and knock the safety off of and pick up and aim. My dagger is easier to access and simply has to be thrown. More efficient. Now, can we move on to more important things please?!"

Rick doesn't argue with that. Instead, he turns to Ardeth, "Okay, you're here. The bad guys are here. Evie's been kidnapped. Let me guess." Ardeth nods, "Yes. They once again removed the creature from his grave." Jonathon, who is waiting by the car as they approach, asks, "Not to point fingers, but isn't it your job to make sure that doesn't happen?" But before anyone can answer him, Alex smacks him in the back of the head. Pointing sternly at him when he looks like he might argue, she says through her teeth, "Don't make me want to stab you. I'm angry enough as it is."

Even so, she does turn back to Ardeth, clearly waiting for further explanation on how the hell this happened. Again. So he nods and explains, "The woman that is with him; she knows things; things that no living person could possibly know. She knew exactly where the creature was buried. We were hoping she would lead us to the bracelet. She obviously did."

Alex can't help but compare the way Ardeth describes this woman… well, to Evie and the way she seemed to know exactly how to get to the bracelet of Anubis once they finally got in. Granted, this mystery woman was obviously evil and they needed to get rid of her ass, ASAP. But… they both simply knew things. Things that they definitely shouldn't already know.

Uncanny.

Ardeth then sighs and, referring to the bracelet, says, "And now they have it." But as they were preparing to load into the car, Alex freezes when Jason says, "I wouldn't get too nervous just yet." Lifting his sleeve, he shows them the bracelet that is locked around his wrist.

And she smacks Jonathon again when he asks, "Is that gold?" Jason looks to Alex as Ardeth takes hold of his wrist to examine the bracelet. "When I stuck it on, I saw the pyramids at Giza. Then whoosh, straight across the desert to Karnak!"

Jason's eager expression, on any other day, would've made Alex grin at him. But, and she doesn't even know why, but she has a sinking feeling in her stomach about this whole situation. And that feeling is only magnified when Ardeth declares, "By putting this on, you have started a chain reaction that could bring about the next apocalypse."

Jason gasps, Ardeth continues to stare at him and the bracelet in concern, Rick is frozen at the word 'apocalypse', and Jonathan still seems to be wondering if the damn thing is really made of solid gold. Slapping him in the back of the head again, Alex moves to face them all. Because they did not have time to be panicking about this shit.

Pointing to Ardeth, she says, "You, lighten the hell up. He's eight for peats sake." Ardeth looks like he might comment, possibly to apologize or something. But Alex is already moving past him, moving onto Rick and saying, "You, breathe and get your shit together. We have to go save your wife and apparently the world. Again."

To Jason, she says, "You. Big trouble. We're talking Mount Everest of trouble." And then she ends on Jonathon, "And you. Get in the damn car!"

They pile in, Alex driving and Ardeth in the passenger seat while Rick, Jason and Jonathon are in the back. Rick isn't letting go of his son just yet, and Alex doesn't blame him. As they peel out of the drive, Alex notes Ardeth grips the handle above his head briefly. To her relief though, Rick says from behind them, "Don't worry. Alex could drive a bus a hundred miles an hour and not crash if she needed to." Nodding, Alex says, "Damn straight."

Ardeth looks over at her, and then says, "I am sorry if I alarmed your nephew. But you must understand. Now that the bracelet is on his wrist, we have only seven days before the Scorpion King awakens." From the back, Rick asks, "We? What we?" But before he can argue further about the fact that his family isn't involved in this, Alex spins to face him, "Your kid put on the bracelet, and from the looks of it we can't get it off him. So yes, there is a we. Shut up and listen."

Back to Ardeth, she asks, "And what the hell does that mean?" "If the Scorpion King is not killed, he will raise the Army of Anubis."

Jonathan leans forward, "I take it that's not a good thing." To which Rick turns to him and answers sarcastically, "Oh, he'll wipe out the world." "Ah, the old 'wipe out the world' ploy." Alex nods with a sigh, "Tale as old as time I suppose. What is with the bad guys and wanting to wipe out the world?"

Ardeth glances at her, smiling slightly at her sarcasm, and then explains, "Whomever can kill the Scorpion King can send his army back to the underworld, or use it to destroy mankind and rule the earth." Alex nods and then huffs, "That's why they need Imhotep." Ardeth nods as Rick says from the back, "Because he's the only guy tough enough to take out the Scorpion King." Ardeth agrees, "That is their plan."

For a moment, everyone remains silent. Then Alex sighs and says, "Well, it was a solid plan. Pretty much foolproof. Except for the part where the kidnapped my cousin. Should've left that alone." Everyone stares at her as she continues to weave in and out of traffic, never slowing down. Feeling their gazes, she asks, "What? The bad guys could win once and a while, if they had enough sense to not bug the hell out of people that belong to me. They took Evie. Now I have to kill them all. So now they can't win. If they'd just left well enough alone, they could end the world. But no, they have to go and piss me off first. Not okay. Definitely not okay."

* * *

At the back of the car when they get out, Rick asks Ardeth, "You want the shotgun?" The Medjai has to stare for a moment in surprise at the number of guns that are just ready in the back trunk of the car. Just… already there, waiting. Rick may not have wanted these situations to ever come to them again, but he was prepared for it to happen, regardless. Finally, Ardeth simply shrugs, "No. I prefer the Thompson." Rick nods in approval, "Good. Alex, take the shotgun."

She takes it and starts loading, smiling when Rick explains, "She still loads the damn thing faster than anyone else in the family. Including me." Glancing up, Alex blushes a bit when she finds Ardeth already looking at her, a small grin of his own already on his lips.

Nope… no time for that right now. If there was anything even there to try and have time for later. He was still a Medjai after all. It's not like anything about that had changed, just because he was suddenly here again.

Alex is still trying to force that idea to solidify in her head, when she hears Ardeth say to Rick, "If I were to say to you, I'm a stranger traveling from the east seeking that which is lost…" Rick pauses in what he's doing, and then looks to him and answers in confusion, "Then I would reply that I am a stranger travelling from the west. It is I whom you seek. How…" "Then it is true."

Rick's confused look just increases when Ardeth doesn't explain right away. Alex glances between them both, and then leans closer to Ardeth, "More words are required for those of us who don't spend all our time studying ancient Egyptian myth and history." Ardeth raises an eyebrow at her, but then grabs Rick's wrist with the tattoo on it and says, "You have the sacred mark."

Rick looks down at the tattoo that Jason had uncovered a while back, "What that? No, that got slapped on me in an orphanage in Cairo." But Ardeth argues, "That mark means you're a protector of man, a warrior for God. A Medjai." "Sorry. You got the wrong guy."

Alex looks between the two of them, and then shrugs when Ardeth looks to her to see what she thinks. "Like I said, we don't study Egyptian. That's Evie and Jason's thing." She does turn to Rick though and says, "Seriously though, he was right about the mummy coming back, right about the end of the world coming, and right about needing to follow those people to us to try and save our skins. It's not his fault we decided to bring home a chest with an ancient bracelet in it that's meant to doom the world to its destruction."

Shrugging again, she adds, "Have a little faith." Rick looks to her for a moment, and then says firmly, "I have faith in you and your knives, him and his sword, and me and my guns." "Well, at least that's something."

Ardeth grins at her a little, and then they go back to preparing for battle.

Well… until Alex's shotgun hits the ground.

Ardeth and Rick turn to her to see what's wrong, only to find her eyes coated over in a deep sapphire blue. And on her usually smooth forehead, the Eye of Horus has appeared glowing in the same ethereal sapphire blue color as her eyes. Rick jumps back, "Whoa! What the hell…"

Ardeth stares in amazement, and then begins to kneel before her, but she quickly opens her mouth and says, "Do not lower yourself Medjai. You have done well, and will continue to do so."

Turning to Rick and speaking in a voice much deeper than the one she usually has, Alex says, "You may not know it or believe it yet, but you will come to. And do not fear for your wife. My chosen before you will not let her fall peril to death." Then she turns back to Ardeth, "Do not fear for your beloved, the woman before you, whom I have chosen. She has served me well for many years, and she will be rewarded for her service when the time comes for it to end."

And then her head leans back and the voice says, "Chosen of mine, you serve me by being yourself, and protecting what is yours to fight for. It is why you were chosen for this task. You have sacrificed much to accomplish it, and have never wavered or felt bereft for it. And for that I thank you and commend you. Your reward shall be great. Have faith. All of you."

And then the symbol on her forehead vanishes, her head comes back to looking forward, and her eyes stop glowing.

Blinking in confusion, Alex looks down to the shotgun on the ground and mutters, "Damn it." Reaching down for it, she wipes it off and finishes loading it before looking up at Rick. And as though nothing strange had just happened, she asks, "Can I have one of the pistols too?"

Both just stare at her, so she looks up to meet their gazes. And finally, Ardeth realizes that she has no idea what just happened to her. Raising an eyebrow in annoyance, she asks, "What? We don't have time for this. Come on." Rick, still uncertain, steps forward and asks, "Alex? Do you know what just happened?" Blinking again, she asks, "What do you mean? Ardeth said something, you said something, I told you to have faith. Then, for reasons I don't know, I dropped the shotgun. Sorry, now can we please move on?"

Ardeth and Rick look at each other, and then turn back to the trunk. Rick hands her a pistol and then watches her walk towards the steps to scope out the doorway and the inner hall of the museum. Then he whips his head around to look at the Medjai, "Ardeth. What the hell was that?!"

For a moment, he can't answer. Then he simply says reverently, "That was a rare event. One we are honored to have been witness to." When Rick still looks confused, Ardeth explains, "That was a Goddess, granting us a moment of her time to give us hope and faith. Something she knows we need right now." "But it called Alex chosen. Chosen for what?" "From the sound of it, chosen to protect your wife."

They finish loading their weapons and Rick asks, "Should we be afraid of her at all?" "No!" Ardeth looks at him sternly and says, "To be chosen by a god or goddess to carry out the task of protection is rare. There are very few who meet the requirements and standards of the gods. To know someone who does and have them close to you? It is a blessing indeed."

Rick nods, and then asks, "One more question. What the hell was on her forehead?" "It was the symbol for the Eye of Horus." "Meaning?" "Meaning it is not just any Goddess who is looking out for your wife and for all of us. She is powerful."

When they finally reach the door, Alex steps out and says, "The place looks deserted all in the front, but I hear voices from the lower levels." Rick blinks and asks, "How far did you look?" "I cased the whole first floor while you two were lollygagging out here. Now come on."

As they're heading through the halls and among the artifacts, while Rick walks ahead of them now, Ardeth gently grips Alex at her elbow. Turning to him, she whispers, "What?" "Do me a small favor?" "What is that?" He leans closer to her ear and punctuates each word as he says, "Do. Not. Die."

She stares up at him for a moment, remembering that those were the words he told her before he took off to handle the mummies while they got Evie away from Imhotep the first time this happened. Ardeth leans back and nods and is about to go on past her when she puts a hand on his chest. He pauses and looks down at her again. Leaning up to his ear now, she whispers, "Don't do anything stupid, like run off away from us again, and I'll see what I can do." She gives him a stern look, to which he just smiles gently and nods before gesturing for her to continue before him.

Of course, that's when all of the mummies in this museum start jerking up and about and coming back to life. Gritting her teeth, Alex says, "Great. It's like Hamunaptra all over again, except we're in a fancy museum and this time I'm not all that shocked.

And as they get to the ledge and look down at everything that's happening, the bowing and the fire and the people dressed in red cloth looking like a cult around Imhotep's body, Rick sighs, "You know, a couple of years ago, this would've seemed really strange to me." Alex nods, "Pretty much." Rick pats Ardeth on the shoulder as he moves to take another position, and Alex grins at him before moving to her own.

And, as would be the case in situations like this, nothing goes according to plan. Not that there had been a great or elaborate plan to begin with. Just the idea of getting Evie out alive. Which, they somehow manage. But Imhotep is still resurrected, Anck Su Namun reincarnated is down there, mummies are storming the museum, and guys dressed in red are trying to kill them when the mummies aren't on top of them.

Alex blows up a box of dangerous explosives, buying Rick and Evie enough time to make it back up the stairs. Then she and Ardeth keep firing until they're out of the room and running back through the museum. Alex looks at Ardeth and says, "I saw that correctly, right? He turned those ashes into warrior mummies again?" "Yes." "Damn. I hate those guys."

As soon as they're out the doors, Alex jerks back as Evie runs back for a bench. "Evie! What the hell are you doing?!" "I'm…" But before she can explain, Rick grabs her, "Honey, these guys don't use doors. Let's go!"

And as they approach the car, Alex shouts, "Jason!" But the kid isn't there. And as Rick looks around, he asks in disbelief, "Where the hell's Jonathan?"

And that's when the double decker bus rolls up. Rick stares for a moment at the gigantic and definitely non-discreet vehicle. Then he asks, "What's the matter with my car?" But Alex, at least for her part, doesn't care and scrambles onto the bus with the other two while Rick yells at Jonathan.

Ardeth reloads his gun and watches as Alex holds Evie tight before saying, "Never get kidnapped again. Ever." "I will make every effort to avoid it." "Good." Then she turns to Jason and says, "Sit. Do not get involved unless it is to run and avoid being eaten by a mummy. Understand?" "Yes ma'am."

Then she moves back in front of Ardeth, and hands him her shotgun while she takes over reloading his weapon. It's done in the blink of an eye, and then she takes her gun back and asks, "Plan? Is there a plan?" Ardeth shrugs, "Don't die or get eaten." "Simple, straight forward, and solid. I like it. Rick! Get your ass on this bus, now!"

And as Rick joins them, Ardeth asks, "Glad to see me now?" To which Rick answers sarcastically, "Just like old times, huh?" Alex glances between the two of them and then rolls her eyes, "While you two have your bro-moment, I'll be up a floor kicking ass. Feel free to join."

And then the mummies are running and jumping alongside the buildings as they go down the road. Rick glances both ways and huffs before saying, "Right." Alex shoots one, hitting him in the head, slowing him down a bit, before commenting, "That's got to be considered cheating."

Then Evie screams, and Rick and Alex look at each other before he says, "Go. Go!"

On the bottom floor of the bus, Ardeth is about to take a solid blow to the chest, claw marks that would've dug in deep. That's when Alex lowers herself down the outside of the bus, crashing in through a window and stomping the half mummy into the ground at her feet. Glaring at the ashes, she looks over at Evie and Jason, then to Ardeth. She tugs him to his feet, and then to his surprise, she reaches for one of the swords on his belt. Twirling it in her hand to test the weight, she nods to herself, "I like this." She hands Ardeth one of her daggers to have instead, and then sighs, "Okay. Let's do this then."

Of course, then another half mummy breaks in and slashes both her and Ardeth's arms. Evie screams, "Turn! Turn! Turn, Jonathan!"

The mummy sprawls and thrashes beneath one of the seats as the bus cuts a hard left turn. For their part, Ardeth and Alex end up thrown into one of the seats together, Alex in his lap and leaning over him. Holding the sword over their heads, trying to push against the wall so she's not completely pressed into him, Alex huffs and says, "Sorry. I swear I'm not crushing you on purpose." Ardeth looks up at her for a moment, because the idea that she could crush him was practically laughable in his mind. But rather than start an argument with her about that right now, he simply says, "No need for apologies. Besides, I'd much rather it be you than anyone else."

Alex freezes, and then stares at him for a moment in surprise. He hadn't been this teasing or forward nine years ago. Well, at least, he hadn't been completely forward about his feelings until the end, when they were going their separate ways. In any case, this more teasing nature of his was surprising to say the least, and a faint blush did stain her cheeks.

But she also couldn't help grinning at him, because it was nice to see there was more than just the 'serious Medjai' side to his personality.

Of course, she also needs to seriously get a grip. Because now is not the time to be getting lost in a Medjai's eyes. And that point is proven quite pointedly when she screams in pain as claws dig into her back. Ardeth kicks back at the mummy behind her so it falls off, and then pushes her aside to stand and fight with him again. And in the midst of that, just as the mummy is about to get at them again, Evie ends up with the shotgun and blasts him out the back window.

Alex turns to her, grins, and says, "Much better." "I've been practicing." "It shows." And then they're tossed again as Jonathon turns sharply once more. And upon rising to her feet after that, Alex sees the low wall they're approaching, and screams to the floor above, "RICK! GET DOWN NOW!"

Alex makes a mental note that they definitely can't stick around for too long after this is over. Causing this much damage to a bus, which was basically city property, was not going to sit well with anybody. I mean, the entire top half of the bus was now practically nonexistence. Some of the seats were still there… but that was it.

When Jonathon finally pulls over, Jason congratulating him on a job well done, Rick comes down to join them to Alex's relief. Slumping in the seat next to Ardeth, she glances over as Rick asks, "You alright?" And to further prove that there was much more to him than just the 'serious Medjai, Ardeth answers, "This was my first bus ride."

Alex's burst of laughter puts everyone at ease, and she says, "Well… you know… we wanted to give you the full London experience. The mummies were a bonus." Ardeth grins over at her, and then she watches as Rick and Evie start to kiss. Rolling her eyes, and purposefully avoiding looking at Ardeth, she sticks a leg out in front of Jason as he moves towards the back of the bus.

He glances at her and she says, "Do NOT get off this bus." "Alright, alright." Dropping her leg tiredly, she sits up and winces at the pain in her back. Ardeth leans forward and gently peels away sections of her tank top to see the wounds. Wincing himself at the sight of them, he still says, "They're not too deep. We can bandage them and you should be fine." "Good."

His hands on her skin are gentle and warm, and in spite of the pain in her back, Alex closes her eyes and wishes he'd never stop touching her again. She could die happy, if he'd just keep his hands on her. And he honestly would've continued touching her as long as she allowed. That is… until they all heard Jason suddenly scream, "Let me go!"

Alex jerks and then takes off at a sprint with Rick at her heels, off the bus and towards the bridge as Jason is dragged away by Lock-Na. Glaring heatedly at the man, Alex watches as another one further up the bridge, inside the little box that operates the lifting and lowering of the bridge, hurriedly comes out of the little booth. He was clearly expecting to hop into the car that Lock-Na had jumped into, as soon as it got closer enough for him to do so.

Yeah… not if Alex could help it. Pulling out a dagger, she hurls it furiously and watches as it sinks into the back of that man's skull through the rear window.

Lock-Na glances back at her through the window, but then ducks out of the way in case she throws another. Consequently, she can't. She doesn't want to risk hitting Jason on accident while he's in the car Keeping up as fast as she can, it's still not enough. The bridge lifts, and it's all she can do to make it to the top and watch them continue driving away while she hangs their helplessly.

Rick is beside her, and he pants desperately, "Jason." And on the ground below, Evie and Ardeth both jerk and look when Alex shouts, "GOD DAMMIT!"

As Jonathon works to lower the bridge and both Alex and Rick come down, while Rick returns to Evie to console her, Alex only makes it halfway back. Then she just falls to her knees and punches at the pavement beneath her hands. Gritting her teeth and balling her fists so tight her knuckles turn solid white, she feels the tears she wishes to hold back spill over anyway.

She'd failed. Maybe she'd saved Evie, and that was good, but she hadn't kept Jason safe. She'd failed. It was her job. She wasn't his parent, but it was her job to keep him safe. It was her job to keep all of them safe.

Ardeth, after putting a hand on Rick's shoulder, makes his way towards her on the bridge.

That's when the spirit of a woman with a lioness head appears before him, glowing ethereal blue like Alex had done before. He pauses, and the woman before him says, "Comfort her. But before you can, you must understand her pain." "She is sad to have lost Jason." The spirit nods, "But more than that. She feels she has failed them. And even more than that, is who she is as a person. The five people she was with tonight are the only ones in the world that matter to her. She hates to lose people she cares about. She won't. Not again."

Ardeth knows the spirit is referring to Alex's parents that she'd lost very young. Though Alex had never told him about the incident in any great detail, he knew from some of his conversations with Evie that the brutality involved in her parents' deaths played a large part in who Alex was as a person and a warrior and friend. She had lost them, unable to do anything to save them.

She would never be so helpless again. She would never lose those she cared for again. The rest of the world be damned.

The spirit nods to him, "Have her tell you the whole story someday. For now, comfort her. Let her know there is work to be done to save her nephew." And without another word, the spirit vanishes. And as Ardeth makes his way closer to Alex, he can't help but feel more than honored to be standing here with her. Someone who the Goddess had not only chosen, but with whom the Goddess was so incredibly pleased, as to continue coming to them to ensure that they knew just how precious Alex was to her.

Alex jumps at the hand on her shoulder, and then immediately says, "I'm fine." But Ardeth shakes his head, "You are hurting." She refuses to look up, but responds, "If they hurt him… I will find a way to curse them all to hell myself. I will hunt them down one by one if I have to. I…" "I have no doubt. Come."

She looks up at him at that, and the tears on her cheeks and look in her eyes breaks his heart for her. She was terrified again. Wiping away her tears and lifting her head up even more, he says, "Come. We must move quickly." "Where?" "Karnak."

He helps her up and then wraps one arm behind her while holding her arm in the other as he guides her back to the others. Once there, he says, "Please, do not fear for your son my friends."

When even Alex looks at him like he's lost his mind, he explains, "They cannot hurt him, for he wears the bracelet of Anubis." Evie looks up at that and demands, "Jason is wearing the bracelet?!" Rick nods and explains, "When he put it on, he said he saw the pyramids at Giza, he saw the temple at Karnak…"

Ardeth nods urgently and puts in, "Yes, and when they reach Karnak, the bracelet will show him the next step of the journey." Evie looks around frantically, "Well, if we don't get to Karnak before them, we won't have any idea where to look for him next." Alex nods, "We will get there." "How?" "I don't bloody know! But we will."

Rick nods and says in a daze, "Sounds to me, like we need a magic carpet." Alex can see the gears in his head turning, so while he's pondering… whatever it is he's pondering, she says to Jonathan, "Come on." Blinking, he asks, "Where are, we going?" "To steal a car." "To steal a…" "We don't exactly have time to try and rent one from enterprise! Just help me find an abandoned car."

When they finally find one and Alex hotwires it for them, she points and says, "Rick. Think and drive at the same time." And as they're going down the road, Rick sighs and explains, "He… the person I need to help us… he might not agree so readily." Alex shrugs, "Persuade him." Rick glances at her in the rear mirror where she's sitting between Ardeth and Jonathan. Then he confesses, "I might not be able to." "Then I'll persuade him."

Ardeth looks her over, taking in the weary stance her body has at the moment. Rubbing her shoulder and squeezing gently, he says, "You need rest." "I'll rest when we're officially on the way to Karnak. Until then, don't anybody even think of suggesting I go to sleep."

He does not press her on the matter, though he does tear off a piece of his robe and take her hand in his. Wrapping her bruised and scraped knuckles in the cloth from where she'd punched the pavement, he says, "Take care of them. We're going to need all our skills for what comes next." Alex nods, and then leans her head back and promises, "We will get him back Evie. You have my word."

Evie turns to look at her, and then nods and Ardeth watches as she visibly relaxes a little. Apparently, Alex's word meant more than even he had already assumed it did. Alex had said it would happen, and so now Evie believed it that much more.

And he would help her see it through. Come hell or high water, he would help get her nephew back. And then, if they managed to find the time, he would help save the world. But before that, he would help her protect her family.

Because he hadn't missed what the spirit had told him. She'd said that there were five people with Alex tonight, and all five meant the world to her. She would die protecting each and every one of them.

And he was one of those five. That fact alone put a lightness in his heart that he hadn't felt in years. And with that knowledge, he knew that even his own opinion was changing a little. He would still help save the world from Imhotep's wrath. That had been his mission since he was a child, and he was honored to play his part in trying to save the world from Imhotep's tyranny.

But he would help Alex first. He would get her nephew back, and then get them to the pyramid so the bracelet wouldn't kill him. And then he would worry about saving the world from Anubis' army.

No pressure.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the train, Jason is listening to Imhotep tell him he must help them, or he will be sucked dry and lifeless by the seventh day. Jason just glares and says, "My dad is going to kick your ass."

Imhotep removes his mask and says, "I do not think so."

But Jason, to the surprise of both himself and Imhotep, isn't scared. Sure, Imhotep was a scary son of a bitch. But Jason has Alex for an aunt. And he's seen her scars a few times, those few when she let her guard down. And he's been told countless times about just how scary and cruel a place the world can really be. So no… he wasn't scared of Imhotep right now. Instead, he just glares and adds in, "And if my dad doesn't, my aunt will." Imhotep tilts his head, but then says in awe, "The one with fire remains with them. Impressive. I will yet get to make a pet out of one of the gods' chosen."

And he laughs as the boy is taken away so he can finish planning what needs to be done so he can take over the world. And this time, he will succeed!

* * *

Chapter 9! I managed to post these two the same day! Yay! Hope you're still enjoying it so far. :)


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: "I do not own any part of the Mummy franchise. Wish I did, because those first two movies were awesome. But I don't. All credit for quotes and scenes taken from the movie, go to the writers, producers, directors, etc. I own only Alexandra Taren, and any original content that I make her do or say. That is all."

Note: Alex's story comes out in this chapter. I tried not to make it too graphic or anything, but here is your warning, regardless. :)

* * *

Chapter 10

"This is the magic carpet?" Alex looks around at the rundown looking place, and then points to her cousin, "I'm with Evie on this. Doesn't seem too magical to me."

Rick turns to give her a look, clearly stating she wasn't helping the situation any. "It'll be fine. He's a professional." But he still can't help grinning when Alex nods, "I'm sure he is. And I'm a millionaire, while we're throwing around improbabilities."

They'd only stopped for two moments last night. The first was to pack a few light bags for the journey. Weapons, clothes, and whatever food and water they could carry with them since they weren't sure how long it would actually take them to find Jason. The second stop was to let Ardeth out so he could go and contact the elder Medjai. He needed to let them know what was happening and what the current course of action was that he was taking. Should the army of Anubis arise, he and all the other Medjai would need to be ready to try and stop them from conquering the world.

Alex hadn't really enjoyed watching him leave yet again, but she made no comment as he slid out the car. She did jump a little in surprise when he took her hand in his and gently brought her fingers to his lips, placing a kiss there before promising he would meet them at the Magic Carpet, where Rick was going to acquire a ride for their journey.

After they were back on the road, Evie turned in her seat to check on Alex in the back. Smiling gently, she assures, "He'll meet us there, Alex. He promised to help us." "I know that." "I'm just making sure."

She'd rolled her eyes at the time, and then blushed when Jonathon, for maybe the first time ever, finally pieced together that she was in love with Ardeth. He looked over at her and Evie, and then blurted out, "Wait! You and… you and him! Oh, my God! How did I miss that?" "There is nothing there."

But it was Alex's turn to look up in surprise when Evie had been the one to say, "Oh bullshit, Alex. You love the man. You might be able to fool the rest of the world into believing otherwise, but I grew up with you, and you can't fool me." Alex had stared at her for a moment, and then finally conceded, "I… didn't say I didn't. I just… there's nothing there. No possibility, I mean." "But…" She gave Evie a stern look, "He's a Medjai, and I'm attached to all of you people at the hip. We're literally destined to always be on opposite ends of the earth, no matter what. So there's nothing there. Now, can we please focus?"

To her relief, everyone had dropped the subject after that, opting for discussing how long it would take to get to Rick's friend, and how long it would take after that to actually acquire his assistance. And now they were here, at this place called 'The Magic Carpet'. And Alex still isn't too sure about this 'Izzy' person that Rick had mentioned. But they're on a tight schedule, so she can't afford to be picky.

If Rick attempts to strap her down to the wing of a plane again though, they are going to have some very strong words between each other before she'll be going even an inch off the ground.

As the man in question comes out wearing a pilot's cap, an eyepatch over his left eye, and some rather worn clothes, Alex can't decide if she likes him or not from a first glance. Then Rick shouts, "Izzy!"

And his immediate reply to seeing Rick O'Connell is to shout back in dismay, "No!" And then he spins around a few times in his scrambling to get back inside and lock the doors behind him.

Nodding after a moment, Alex says, "I like him." Rick looks slightly stunned and says, "Hey!" Evie just comments, "He definitely remembers you." Rick gives her a look, "He's a little shy. Jonathan, get our bags." Jonathon holds up his golden rod and says, "Oh, my hands are full." Rick snatches it from him and says, "Now." "Right, right… I'll get the bags."

Alex grins at him as he goes back, and then looks back at Rick when he gestures to her and says, "We're handling the flight details." Nodding, lacing her fingers in front of her and stretching them outward so they crack a bit, she asks, "Strategy?" "I'll try to talk and reason with him. All else fails, you threaten to kill his ass." "Solid. Let's go."

As Rick shoots the lock on the door, Evie says, "Neither of you are rather subtle people." But Rick simply shrugs, "We don't have time for subtle." Alex nods and pats Evie on the shoulder as she follows Rick and says, "Don't worry. I'm sure a time will come when subtlety will win the day. Just not today."

Rick marches on ahead of them, demanding, "Izzy! Come here!" But the man continues to scramble away from Rick as though he might have the plague. Alex hisses slightly as though hurting for Rick, and then says, "Yeah, he's definitely not happy to see you." "He's never turned me down yet." "Because he was willing, or because you put a gun to his head. Cause right now, it looks like the latter."

Rick rolls his eyes, and then turns back to Izzy as the man declares, "Whatever it is, whatever you need, I don't care. Forget it, O'Connell. Every time I hook up with you, I get shot! Last time I got shot in the ass! I'm in mourning for my ass!" Alex chuckles a little at the man and shrugs when Rick looks at her. "What? I like him. He's going to be hard to threaten to kill if it ends up coming to that." And Rick rolls his eyes again, "Great."

Izzy points to him, "Remember that bank job in Marrakesh?" Evie, just a couple steps behind them, asks curiously, "Bank job?" Rick turns and immediately says, "It's not like it sounds." But Izzy jumps up from the desk he'd just sat down at, "Uh, it's exactly like it sounds! I'm flying high, hiding in the sun. The white boy here flags me down, so I fly in low for the pick-up. And the next thing you know, I get shot! I'm lying in the middle of the road with my spleen hanging out… and I see him waltzing up with some belly dancer girl."

Evie smirks and asks, "Belly dancer girl? Izzy, I think you and I should talk." Alex laughs and leans over to put an arm around her shoulders. Taking a little pity on Rick, she assures her cousin, "That was before you, Evie. Our dear Rick is a changed man now." Izzy looks at the two of them, and then shakes his head, "Whatever, I don't care. So long as I don't get shot."

Rick finally just huffs, "Quit your whining. You're gonna get paid this time." And even as Izzy comments on not needing the money, he pockets what Rick tossed his way. Rick marches up to him and says, "Listen, I'm gonna keep this short. My little boy is out there, and I'm gonna do whatever it takes to get him back."

But Izzy isn't really listening anymore, and Rick is about to yell at him to pay attention and get on board, when Alex grips his wrist. He's still holding the rod that he'd taken from Jonathan, and as Alex moves his wrist from side to side, up and down, Izzy's eyes follow. Smirking, Alex says, "Boy likes the stick."

Izzy glances at her, maybe slightly offended. But clearly not offended enough to argue with her, as he quickly turns back to Rick, "O'Connell, if you give me that gold stick there, you can shave my head, wax my legs, and use me for a surfboard." Alex's eyes widen as she smiles wider. Looking to Rick, she says, "Damn. Give him the stick, and get us in the air." Rick tosses it to him, and then asks, "Didn't we do that in Tripoli? And uh, by the way, when did you lose your eye?" Izzy blinks, and then admits, "Oh. I didn't. I just thought it made me look more dashing."

And now Alex rolls her eyes, "And now I like him a little less. Lose the patch and get a move on. We're on a rescue mission here. And you need to be ready when Ardeth gets here, or you might end up shot anyway." Izzy leans back and asks, "By who?" "By me."

As she walks away, Izzy says to Rick, "I don't like her. She's too much like you." "Just get to work, Izzy. And don't say anything against her." "Or you'll shoot me?" "No. My wife will. Now get to it."

As they come to the top of the hill though, Rick pauses beside Alex as they look to where Ardeth has arrived, dressed in new robes, and with eleven other horsemen at his side in similar attire. True to his word, he had come to meet them at the Magic Carpet. Along with the other Medjai tribe leaders, if Alex is guessing correctly about who they are.

Compared to them, Alex feels slightly under dressed at the moment. Not that it can be helped. She hadn't bothered changing last night out of her torn and bloodied clothes. It's a wonder Izzy didn't look at her and freak the hell out based on her appearance, rather than Rick's. He must've taken the man on some pretty wild rides in the past.

Which is good. Because this was going to definitely be the wildest ride any of them have ever been on. But Alex can't completely hide her laugh though as she glances back when Izzy comments, "I knew it. I'm gonna get shot."

Ardeth climbs down off his horse and makes his way towards them. Gesturing behind him, he confirms, "These are the commanders of the twelve tribes of the Medjai." Jonathan looks them over and says, "I count eleven."

And while some of the men had been about to comment, all turn to Alex when she says, "You're not counting the one coming with us, dumbass." Ardeth grins at her, glancing back at the other leaders who nod to her in approval. He'd told them what he had seen… that she was a chosen. And though they were just seeing her, it never took anyone long to see all the spirit and fire that lived inside of Alexandra Taren.

Coming closer to stand in front of her while the others gather around, Ardeth turns and says, "Horus."

And Alex smiles upon seeing the beautiful falcon she'd come to think of as a friend lift off and come to rest on Ardeth's forearm. He grins a little at her joy of seeing the bird. It confirmed his hopes that she was always happy to receive his letters.

Jonathan comments, "Pet bird." Ardeth nods, smoothing down the feathers while saying, "My best and most clever friend. He will let the other commanders know of our progress so that they may follow." Turning back to his people, he raises a hand and says, "Allah, humana." They answer it back in kind, and then turn to leave and make the necessary preparations for the battle to come. Ardeth nods to them and then says Alex, "If the army of Anubis arises, they will do all they can to stop it."

One of the riders stays behind however, and he nods at Ardeth. Ardeth then moves to Evie and asks, "Evelyn, will you watch Horus a moment?" "Of course!" It wasn't the first time any of them had seen Horus. Evie had seen him too, but unlike Rick, she found the idea of Ardeth and Alex sending letters back and forth to be romantic. It hadn't stopped her from sending Alex on a few dates over the years, but she still thought it was a nice gesture.

Ardeth then gently takes Alex by the elbow, "Come, please." And while the others go with Izzy to begin making preparations to leave, Alex and Ardeth approach the other Medjai who hadn't left yet. He pulls Alex to the other side of his horse while Ardeth is told to remain and hold the horse in place for her privacy. Then he tends to the wounds on her back as best he can, using a similar ointment to the one she remembers Havar using to soothe the aching of her bruises the first time she'd encountered Imhotep.

When he's finished, and her wounds ache a considerable amount less, he pulls out a pair of black pants and a top for her. It resembled what she usually preferred wearing now for the most part, except it came with a belt for a sword, and the sleeves on the black blouse had slits from the wrist to the shoulder so her arms were exposed while the sleeve still wrapped around her wrist and then still fastened at her shoulders.

She slipped them on and then took the sword he offered her and said, "Thank you." The Medjai before her, a tribal leader at that, bows his head to her, "It is an honor."

He didn't explain why it was an honor. He just kept his head bowed in respect. Alex finally did the same in kind, and then watched as he climbed back on his horse and took off after the others.

Ardeth looks her over, both for the purpose of making sure he didn't think anything had been missed… and to admire the new outfit she was standing in. But then he jumps when she spins around to face him. Tilting her head, she asks, "What's up with the new wardrobe?" He shrugs, and might even blush the slightest bit. Or perhaps that's the sun's doing… Alex can't be sure. Of course, then he stutters a bit, which makes Alex want to grin as he starts off with, "I… That is…"

He watches her a moment more, noting the tiniest hint of a grin on her face. Oh, and how he wished they didn't need to run off immediately to save Jason and the rest of the world. He already knew she could be teased. He'd seen her blush, knew he could cause it, and he wanted to do it again. In a time and place that didn't require them to be together because the world was potentially ending.

But for now, he chooses a different tact. Shrugging, he asks, "Honestly?" She tilts her head again, and simply responds, "Always." He grins at that, and then nods and answers, "Then in all honesty, I simply thought you would like this new and different outfit. And I wanted your wounds tended to before we head off." "Okay… but what about Rick and Evie? Shouldn't they be…" Ardeth reaches up to cup her face in one of his hands. Thumb brushing against her cheekbone, he says in a deeper tone of voice, "Your concern is them. First, foremost, and always. And I respect that. My first priority…" Alex cuts him off and finishes, "Is to save the world. I know that, and I respect that too. But what…" Ardeth pushes his thumb over her lips briefly to stop her, and then corrects, "No. It used to be to save the world. My priorities have changed in the past years. Nine years, to be exact."

Okay, so he was still teasing her a bit. But it was the honest truth, which is what she'd asked for. And if it made her blush… well, that wasn't entirely his fault. Mostly? Maybe. But not entirely.

Finally she nods, and then swallows thickly before asking, "And… the sword?" "You are skilled with the sword. My people thought it fitting for you to have one of your own." Her eyes widened, "You gave me a sword?" Grinning at her shock, he reaches down for the hilt and pulls it up for her to see. The hilt is embedded with blue sapphire gems on both sides, and at the center of it was a nautical compass, similar to the one he'd seen tattooed on her back so long ago. But the thing that he suddenly found most appropriate about the blade for her, was the engraving of the Eye of Horus that was on the metal of the blade itself.

He hadn't known how significant that symbol would be when he'd offered up his ideas for the design of the blade so long ago. In truth, the sword had been designed for her some time ago, and he had simply not found the appropriate time to gift it to her. His people had still admired her from before all of these more recent events, and had begun working on the sword almost as soon as he'd first returned home after defeating Imhotep the first time. And now… well, now certainly seemed like a most appropriate time to finally give it to her.

Pointing it out, he says, "My people were quite taken with you before, when you helped save the world nine years ago. This metal was forged for you." She looks up at him in shock again, and then back at the blade. Touching it gingerly, fingers tracing the compass and then the Eye of Horus, she says reverently, "I will treasure it." "I know."

He bumps up her chin after that, and then says, "Come. Let's save your nephew." Nodding, shaking herself out of the spell he'd cast… even if he didn't know he cast it, Alex adds, "Yeah. Let's get on that."

But then they see the blimp of a machine that Izzy intends for them to fly in, and Alex slaps a hand to her forehead before joining Rick in pulling out a gun to point it at his head. The pilot throws up his hands, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! She's faster than she looks. And she's quiet. Real quiet. Perfect for sneaking up on people, which is a very good thing."

He seems to be talking more to Alex than Rick at the moment, and then relaxes when she puts her pistol away. Shrugging at Rick, whose looking at her like she's lost her mind, she says, "He'd be stupid to lie to me at this point." Then back to Izzy, she threatens, "This thing so much as hiccups and signals to anyone where we are though, I'll shoot you twice in the ass myself." Izzy nods hurriedly, "Got it." Then he looks to Rick and adds, "Unless, of course, we go with your approach. Barging in face-first, guns blazing, and getting your friends shot in the ass!"

While he and Izzy argue a bit more, Ardeth moves forward to join Alex where she stands gazing at the dirigible. Shaking his head, he asks, "Why can't you people ever keep your feet on the ground?" Alex glances at him, and then shrugs, "In this particular case, because flying is the fastest way of travel, and we need to be quick." He nods, but then glances down at her hand that's beside her. Clenching and unclenching, and then shaking a little, she seems to be nervous. More so than he'd ever seen her before.

Back to her face, he asks, "Are you alright?" She turns to him, prepared with the immediate reply of 'I'm fine'. Then she gets stuck on the concern that rests there in his face, all of it just for her. That deep brown color of his eyes is still as piercing as the day she'd first met him, as the day she'd first gotten lost in them. She could say she's fine, but he wouldn't believe her. He already knows she's not.

And aside from that, she doesn't feel the need to hide very much from him. So instead, she takes a breath, and then admits, "I hate flying."

Ardeth watches as she turns back to the giant balloon that's going to carry them through the air. He'd known from before, when they'd been strapped to the wing of a plane together, that she hadn't enjoyed that trip at all. He'd thought it was more because of the absurdity of the situation though, the fact that she was strapped to the wing of the plane and not actually in a seat. But apparently, she just hated flying at all; period, the end.

But after taking another moment to collect herself, Alex nods, "Okay. Let's go." And she climbs on without another word, not looking like she were dreading this trip at all. And Ardeth can't help but smile at her, the way she stands on board as though it were made for her, rather than like it was the last place on earth she would ever want to be.

After they get underway, Alex stays near Izzy for a while, watching him work the controls. You know, just in case something happens and she, at the very least, needs to know how to make them fly forward. And plus, standing next to him kept her away from the edges of the dirigible right now. And honestly, she'll be better about this whole situation once they're higher in the air. It wasn't the height involved with flying that had ever bothered her. Just flying itself, in general. She'd never enjoyed the idea of flying. She'd done it once when she was younger, and had refused to use that method of travel since.

Given the circumstances though, she would've gladly hopped aboard a fighter jet if it meant getting to Jason as fast as possible.

Ardeth moves to stand beside her, glancing at the controls that she's staring at intently. And Izzy finally voices his concern, "Is she going to shoot me?" Alex darts her eyes up to him and frowns while asking, "Why do you think that?" "Because you look like you might." "I'm not going to shoot you." "Then why are you staring over my shoulder like you might tackle me if you think I do something wrong?!" "That's not what I'm doing." "Well, what would you call it then?" "Learning."

Izzy blinks at that, but then looks to Ardeth as he says, "She is preparing for the event of needing to pilot this… machine… herself; should the occasion arise that you are unable to pilot it yourself." Alex nods and then shrugs, "He gets it. Why don't you get it?" Izzy stares at her a moment, and then Alex turns to Rick who says, "Just drop it, Alex. Izzy's an amazing pilot and person, but not much on the strategy part. That's all us."

Izzy shouts, "Hey!" But as Rick walks away, Alex says, "He just called you an amazing pilot and person. That's about as big of a compliment as you're ever going to get out of him. Take it. Get us to Jason."

And with that, she steps back and walks over to the edge of the dirigible and looks around them. Nothing but sand, desert, and air as far as the eye can see now. But at the very least, the air is clearer up here. She takes in a deep breath, and then turns to see Ardeth as he says, "You hate flying, and yet here you stand." Raising an eyebrow, she says, "I'm helping get Jason back." "I don't mean here at all. I mean here, at the edge."

Alex glances down at the world below them for a moment. Then she sighs and shrugs, "I'm not afraid of the height. I'm afraid of everything that could possibly go wrong with this thing to make us crash and die a thousand different ways." Ardeth grins a little, and then says, "Have faith." "I have faith. Enough to know that if God wants us to die before we get to Jason, there's nothing I can do about that." "Then have faith in the fact that he would not want Imhotep to rule this earth, and will therefore aid us in our journey if he can."

Silence for a moment, and then Alex says, "It's good to see you by the way. Pretty sure I never got around to mentioning that." Smiling, Ardeth adds, "All things considered, we haven't really had time to talk since I first made my presence known." Alex nods, and then can't help grinning while she asks, "So… Horus is your best and cleverest friend?" Ardeth nods, and then edits, "Well, of the animals that are amongst my people." "So… who's your best friend of the Medjai? Or… you know… who do you like best of them?"

He comes closer to her side and sits on the edge of the railing. And then he immediately stands when Alex grips his arm and pulls him away. She might not be terrified of the idea of herself near the edge, but having him sit on it was another thing. Ardeth simply smiles gently and remains standing for her sake, and then says, "There are several I admire. The elders… the commanders like myself… I am close to all of them. In a way, we have to be close, in order for the tribes to exist in harmony as they do." Alex nods, and then turns her head slightly to the side as she asks, "Are there any women among you? Like… at all?" "Yes. None who are warriors though. The women amongst my people are usually healers, cooks, and tenders of the home and hearth. The men are rarely home in our towns, due to our need to watch over the city."

Alex nods, but even as she turns her head away completely, Ardeth doesn't miss her blush when he adds, "There are also no women among my own people that have managed to capture my attention. They most want a man who will come home and leave his weapons at the door and leave them forgotten. I cannot do this, and none have ever understood."

Alex nods again, and then blushes deeper when he adds, "It seems you understand this though. Even as you leave your weapons by the door, it is with the intent that they should be used if needed, not simply forgotten until you venture back out into the world again." Alex shrugs, "A home is only as safe as you make it yourself. I do what I can to make mine safe. It wasn't enough, but I tried." "You have done well, and far better than most."

Alex doesn't comment on that, and Ardeth decides it's probably time to change the subject. And while not exactly a happier subject, his curiosity gets the better of him, so he asks, "May I ask you a question? It may seem… a bit too personal." Turning to look at him again, Alex tilts her head for a moment, wondering what he thinks he could ask or say that would seem 'too' personal, compared to all the other conversations they've had. Both in person and through the letters they've shared. But finally, she nods, though she adds, "I don't promise an easy answer, but ask and I'll see what I can do." He chuckles at her response, but then puts on a somber expression. Reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder, rubbing there gently with his thumb, he then asks carefully, "Your parents?"

Alex's tiny smile slips instantly; her entire body tensing up and freezing as certain memories begin creeping back into the forefront of her mind. Upon seeing her instant distress at the question, Ardeth squeezes her shoulder and assures, "You need not tell me about them or what happened if you don't want to. I will not try to force it out of you."

The silence that follows between them almost makes Ardeth wish he'd never brought it up. The Goddess had told him to get her to reveal that story to him someday… but perhaps he was too eager in his desire to understand just what drove her to such overprotective instincts. He wasn't ashamed to admit, he had often found himself curious about what exactly had happened to make her the person she was today. But, he also knew that it was a part of her past that she'd buried away, pushed far into the back of her mind. She would never forget, but she would not… and maybe could not dwell on it for any great length of time.

He was about to beg for her forgiveness for even attempting to broach the subject at all. But that's when she finally turned towards him again. She stares at him for a moment, a mixture of fear and… perhaps need buried in her eyes.

She'd never talked about it. Not with anyone. Not anyone that mattered anyway. Even Evie, who would've been the prime candidate to know by now… Alex had never told her all of what happened. Evie wasn't even aware that Alex's scars were caused by the night her parents had been murdered. Alex had come up with an excuse long ago, and Evie had bought it at the time.

Alex had never told the entire truth about what had happened that night. Not to anyone of the people that she now cared for more than anything. And the idea of doing it now… her heart felt like it was clenching inside of her chest, locking up with pent up tension and fear.

But he wanted to know. Ardeth wanted to know about this terrible chapter in her life. He wanted to understand her, more than he already did. And… well, Alex found herself wanting to tell him. She just… wasn't sure she'd be able to get all the words out.

She stares at him for a moment longer, her throat tensing from time to time, as though bracing for speech, and then giving up. And Ardeth was about to start apologizing again… when she reached out to put a hand on his arm.

He was warm. He made her feel like a priority. And… he made her feel safe. He made her feel protected enough that, just maybe, she could get through telling this story, and the memories wouldn't come flooding back to drown her.

With a final nod, Alex glances back at the others sitting near Izzy's cockpit. Slipping her hand into the crook of Ardeth's elbow, she pulls him along with her to sit down with the rest of them. Ardeth takes the seat next to her. Not that she gave him much choice, he notes. Jonathan is nearby, along with Rick and Evie on another side. And Evie's worried expression told him that she too was afraid he'd done something to piss Alex off.

But she wasn't pissed. He knew what that looked like, and this wasn't it. She just… probably was refusing to answer him right now. And if their conversation is over for now because of that question… well, Ardeth can live with that. She hadn't pushed him away or told him to never mention it again. She just hadn't answered him for now, which was understandable. After all, who was he to try and pull that kind of sensitive information out of her.

He was thinking to himself that he was simply happy she wasn't pushing him away. That's when her voice spoke in a soft tone, "I was ten." Ardeth turns to look at her, and then at Evie, whose head has snapped around so fast that he knows Alex is about to talk about something she'd never shared before. Jonathan looks to Evie too, and then sits up straighter to pay attention. Rick looks about to comment, but Evie puts a hand on his chest to make him wait.

Ardeth turns back to Alex, watching her jaw work a little as she clenches it. She was trying to answer his question… but it was difficult. She'd clearly kept a great deal of this to herself, and had never wanted to speak of it again. And while he'd known that to an extent, he'd expected at the very least for Evie and Jonathon to already know this story. But from the looks on their faces, they were now waiting with baited breath, same as he was.

They had never heard it before, and they had known her for years as an adopted sibling. Ardeth had asked her bluntly only this one time, and now she was trying to share it with them.

He felt incredibly honored at the same time as feeling bad about it. This was clearly hard for her, but she was trying. And he is honestly about to tell her that she doesn't have to try, that he doesn't need to know. The turmoil she seems to be in is not worth him understanding exactly why she ended up without her parents, or why she grew into such the protective woman she is today.

Then her hand finds his. Lacing her fingers through his, he glances down in surprise at the force of her grip. But he didn't dare tell her to let go. And with his hand held firmly in hers, Alex finally takes a breath and starts over, "I was ten, and my parents had some rare collection of artifacts in the house. I don't remember what it was. I hadn't been nearly as interested in their findings and digs as they always were. I was just always happy when they came home."

Her jaw clenching again, her hand in his somehow gripping even tighter, Alex continues tightly, "They… there were three of them. Men in masks; all of them carrying steel rods or bats. They took out my dad first. Knocked him unconscious. Then they grabbed me and my mom, and they took us all into the basement. That's where the safe room was where all of the artifacts were stored."

"I remember my mom smiling at me when the men tried asking me for the combination. I knew it. My parents made sure I knew it, just in case I somehow got locked in and needed to get out. But I wouldn't tell the men what it was, and my mom smiled and told me to be brave. Then my dad woke up, and the men started questioning both of them about it."

Her grip on Ardeth's hand loosens a little, but he realizes that is not by choice. She was shaking, as though trapped in an ice storm. And even though it was cooler up here in the air high above the desert, it was certainly not cold enough for her to be freezing.

Terror. She was shaking in fright. Whatever she had seen that night… whatever had happened… it was the reason almost nothing else in the world scared her now. Because this… this story she was telling… this would forever be the scariest and more frightening thing she'd ever had to witness and take part in for her entire life.

When she looks like she might try to draw her shaking hand back, maybe grip it in her own to try and steady it, Ardeth takes it in both of his. Wrapping both of his hands around it, he holds tight while rubbing one of his thumbs against the back of her hand. Her hand tenses in his for a second, but then she squeezes his back appreciatively. Clearing her throat, she continues, "They… It went on for an hour. First it was just them punching and beating the crap out of my parents. Then they started using knives from the kitchen upstairs, cutting and slicing them up. I… I tried not to watch, but one of them taped my eyes open."

Jonathan's gasp of horror draws their attention, but Alex doesn't look up at them. She stares fixedly at the floor beneath her, and her hand squeezes tighter against Ardeth's. Taking another breath, she says, "They… I couldn't even recognize them when they finally decided to move on. It was awful."

For a moment there's silence, and then Evie asks timidly, as though afraid that asking will make Alex stop talking, "Move on?" Alex looks up at her, and then lifts her shirt to show the scars on her torso. Old gashes and tears, stitched up skin that had never been able to heal properly. Evie and Jonathon had seen them before, and even Rick and Ardeth had known about them, known they were there. But Alex had always allowed Evie to explain what they were, using the story she'd told her as a child as the excuse for their existence. But now…

Alex sighs, "Yeah. These… they weren't…" Shaking her head, she looks to Evie again, "I never fell off a bike on a mountain or… whatever it was I told you that happened. This… this is what happened when they moved on to me."

Evie's hands fly to her mouth to stifle the cry of shocked horror. Jonathan's eyes are widened in shock, and Rick is staring at her with a new sort of awed look on his face. Ardeth notes that his fingers are going numb from how tightly she is squeezing his hand, but he doesn't dare stop her. Looking back down, she says, "My parents gave them the combination. It didn't matter. They kept on… working me. I passed out twice. They didn't do anything to my face. Said they wanted people to recognize that I was a child and that they weren't afraid to hurt innocent children to get what they wanted."

Looking up at her family again, she says, "I… they went back to my parents. By now, they'd untied me and I was on the floor. I couldn't get up. I wasn't… I wasn't strong back then. Everything hurt too much and I couldn't move. And even when I did try, I just remember my mom telling me to lie still, or I'd hurt myself more."

"They killed my parents. They made incisions into major arteries. When they came back to me though… I think they thought all the blood I was laying in was mine, because they didn't do anything else to me. One of them punched me in the face and then they left me there for dead."

Her grip on Ardeth's hand relaxes a little, which he takes as a sign that she's past what she considers to be the worst part of her story. She still has to swallow thickly though before continuing, "I woke up a little later and managed to get to a phone without passing out before I called the police. I don't remember after that because I went unconscious talking to the lady that answered. I just remember waking up in the hospital."

To Evie, she says, "Patrick was there when I woke up. Your dad. It had apparently been a while since I'd passed out, and a lot of things had been taken care of in that time. They found Patrick, who said he'd take me in, and around a month later I moved in with you guys."

She finally looks back to Ardeth, who meets her wearied gaze with his own steady one. Shrugging briefly, she answers softly, "That is what happened to my parents." And then to everyone, she says sternly, "I will never repeat this story again. Do not ask me to." Evie nods immediately, but then has to ask, "Did they… I mean… did they catch them?"

Alex nods, "Yeah, they got them. Not for a long time, but they got them." Then she stands up, unable to continue sitting here with all of them looking at her like she was suddenly a kicked puppy. Removing her hand from Ardeth's, she says, "I'm going to have a look around." And with that, she moves back to the front of the balloon… not even really sure what she's going to look at right now. Just needing to be alone for a moment.

Ardeth watches after her, in awe of her and appalled by what happened to her. He knew the world was full of cruel people. Imhotep was evidence of that. But he had not known just how aware of that fact Alex was until just now. Imhotep had not been her first taste of evil, and that is part of why she fought him so fearlessly. She would not be tied down again, forced to sit back and do nothing again, while people she loved were hurt.

It's why losing Jason like this hurt her so, and why when he'd held her back so long ago from going after Evie as Imhotep took her away; why she had grown angry enough to punch him in the face. And it's why she had understood nine years ago, why he'd had to return to the desert. His duty was to protect the world from Imhotep's reign. Hers was to what family she had left.

She didn't scorn him at all for being dedicated to protecting the world. She wasn't really mad at the whole world for what had happened. But when all was said and done, the rest of the world had done little for her in way of protection and help. The world had gotten into her home and taken the two people meant to raise her. And Alex, though her heart was wide, could not afford to care for the rest of the world after that. She could only afford to focus on protecting her small corner of it.

But she understood that Ardeth would protect the world. And knowing all she'd gone through, and how much right she had to hate the world if she chose to… he couldn't help but feel honored to have somehow earned that much understanding from her.

He would have to inform her at some point that he had given in to a slight change in his rules. He would protect the world second. He would protect her and hers first.

Evie is suddenly beside him on the bench, eyes eagerly searching his. Then, to his amusement, she blurts out, "She loves you. I hope you know that. She has never, not since she first moved in with us as children, told us about what happened that night. She refused outright, even when I begged her to tell me so I could help her with her nightmares and panic attacks. She loves you. And you…" "Evelyn…"

She pauses as he says her name, and then Ardeth gently puts a hand on her shoulder, "I understand."

And he rises and moves to join Alex on the other end of the balloon. Evie moves back to Rick's side and he asks, "You think that's a good idea?" "Yes." "He's a Medjai. He's…" "Just… have faith, okay? I have a feeling." "A good one? About them?" "Yes."

And then Evie can't help giggling when Rick says, "Well, if you're right, and the Medjai ends up moving to London too, we're going to have to find a bigger house. Or Alex is going to have to move out, which I doubt will sit well with you." "How did you get so smart?" "You."

While those two continue to talk and then worry about Jason, Alex stares out at the vast desert before them. She needed to focus on something else, anything else. Taking in a deep breath, closing her eyes to try and help shut out the memories. She could not afford to be weak right now. They needed to get Jason back, kill Imhotep, take out this new Anck Su Namun, and…

Her eyes jerk open and she jumps a little when Ardeth carefully places one of the outer layers of robes he was wearing around her shoulders. Glancing over at him, she says sternly, "I'm fine." "It's cold up here. Wear it, please." Sighing, Alex then demands, "Don't baby me." Turning to face her, narrowing his eyes slightly, he says, "I'm not. If Rick hadn't already offered Evelyn a jacket, I would've offered her one as well."

Jerking to look at him, she demands, "Is that so?" He watches into her eyes for a moment, giving her time to realize she wasn't really upset with him about anything. When he sees her shoulders relax a bit, her lips parting as though about to offer an apology, he says gently, "No, I would not have offered her a robe. But I assure you, I am not babying you." She stares back into his eyes for a moment, and then nods before saying softly, "Good. This is really warm." "Good."

She turns back to the front of the ship, soaking in the warmth of his robes for a moment. Then she sighs and asks, "Do you think we'll succeed?" His arm wraps around her comfortingly as he answers, "Yes." The sureness of his answer brings her up short. A small smile on her face again, she asks, "Why?" He grins back, and then moves his arm to wrap around her waist. As she leans back towards him, resting against his chest, his other arm wraps around her as well. Then he says gently in her ear, "Because we cannot afford to fail, and it is therefore not an option. Not to mention, if Jason is anywhere near as smart as his mother, then he already knows you're coming to save him. And you couldn't possibly let him down."

Her short laughter makes him smile. Then he tugs on her gently and says, "Come. The night is approaching and if something happens way up here, there isn't much we can do about it anyway. Come and rest a while. You will need your strength."

And as he brings her to sit next to him near the cockpit, resting against his side… she finds it easy to close her eyes and relax once more, traveling beneath the stars. If not for the impending end of the world, again, it might be a rather romantic night.

* * *

When she wakes up, she's laying down. It only takes her a moment to realize that Ardeth's lap is where her head is resting. His fingers are also trailing gently through the hair of her ponytail, and he occasionally moves the wayward strands of her hair back behind her ear and out of her face. She's wrapped in the robe he gave her, and she's never felt so peaceful, in spite of everything else that's happening.

She keeps her eyes closed, enjoying his touch and the sound of his voice whenever he makes to answer one of Jonathon's questions. Rick moves back down towards the other end of the balloon now to where Evie is, and as he passes, Ardeth says, "O'Connell does not want to believe, but he flies like Horus towards his destiny."

Jonathan just responds, "Yes, yes, very interesting. Tell me some more about this gold pyramid." Ardeth gives him a look, but answers kindly, "Well, it is written that since the time of the Scorpion King, no man who has laid eyes upon it has ever returned to tell the tale." "Where is all this stuff written? Oh… hello!"

Alex feels him find the rod that they'd given Izzy as payment. Jonathan looks to Ardeth and says, "Pretty nice eh? This is all I have left in the world. The rest of my fortune was lost… to some rather unscrupulous characters actually." Ardeth just gives him another look, but Jonathan doesn't really see it, so he simply responds, "If the curator reacted the way you say, it must be very important. If I were you, I would keep it close." Jonathan laughs, "My friend, the Gods couldn't take this away from me…"

"That's mine!" "No, it's not!" As Izzy and Jonathan start fighting over the rod, bumping into Alex in the process, she can't help grinning slightly at the tightening grip Ardeth puts on her to try and keep her still and out of the argument. Ardeth shoves Jonathan to the side slightly so as to not disturb her, but then he looks down when she finally sighs and looks up. First she looks at him, then at the other two. Then she turns back to him and says, "It's like dealing with six-year-olds fighting over a toy." Ardeth grins and watches her sit up and swipe the rod from both of them.

Then she passes it back to Izzy, who nods his appreciation. Jonathan looks at her appalled, but then ducks his head when she says, "We are here for Jason. You lost your half of the treasure from our last trip by betting it on card games and gambling and such. And aside from that, what do you mean that's all you have left in the world?! What am I?! Chopped liver?!"

Ardeth is chuckling silently beside her while Jonathan just turns and pouts out at the open air. Alex huffs and then moves to lay back down. Her head is in Ardeth's lap again before she wonders if maybe he might've wanted to stand. Turning to look up at him, she says, "Sorry. You probably…"

He just turns her so she's on her back instead of her side. Brushing her hair away from her face, he says, "Rest." "I've been resting. What has everyone else been doing?" "Resting. Pacing. Thinking. Our options are limited up here." Alex nods, and then glances over at Evie and Rick where they stand at the head of the ship. "How are they doing?" "As well as can be expected. The sooner we get to Karnak, the better though." "Agreed."

Looking up at him again, she asks, "Where is Horus?" And upon hearing his name, the bird flies over. He lands on Ardeth's shoulder, and then hops down to rest on the arm Alex has over her chest. He bends down to nuzzle her cheek, to which she smiles, "Hello boy." He gives a chirp of recognition, and then flies off to another part of the ship again.

Ardeth keeps one hand smoothing over her hair as he comments, "He likes you." "And why shouldn't he? I'm quite wonderful when I want to be." "You're wonderful all the time, I'm sure." She stares up at him for a moment, and he stares right back, unflinching. It wasn't like he'd said he loved her or anything, but it was a step in the right direction.

Of course, that brought up thoughts of how she'd feel when he had to leave them again. Sure, they were on mission now. He'd be with them all the way. But after that… well, there would probably still be some way for Imhotep to come back, and Ardeth would need to be there to watch him.

He watches her gentle smile slip a little, and moves his free hand to gently trace her face. "No sad thoughts. Not right now, Alexandra." She smiles again, and then closes her eyes and leans into his touch. "Fine. But you have to tell me stories." He chuckles at that, stroking her temple while asking, "What story would you like to hear?" "Any story. Pick one." "Very well, Atheer."

She gave him a funny look at the new term he just used, but he didn't explain it at this point in time. He simply delved into a story about a crew of excavation diggers that they'd had to drive out of Hamunaptra, long before Alex and her friends had ever arrived.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the train in Karnak, as Jason is in the bathroom trying to tug on the bars, he mutters to himself, "What would Alex do? She wouldn't have even tried the bars, that's for sure. They're not coming off. But she'd think of something. Come on, Jason. Think."

And that's when he realizes the toilet leads to underneath the tracks after pulling the emergency brake, and he yanks the toilet away carefully and makes his way down to the ground below while the train begins to slow a bit.

Of course, that doesn't exactly pan out very well for him, and he ends up hovering in front of a fully transformed Imhotep, who shakes his finger at him in a disapproving fashion. Jason just glares and says, "When my family finds you, you're going to regret it." Imhotep just smirks at the boy, and brings him back over so they can chain him to a post to keep him from running off again.

It was going to be a long five days.

* * *

And that's Chapter 10! Yay!


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: "I do not own any part of the Mummy franchise. Wish I did, because those first two movies were awesome. But I don't. All credit for quotes and scenes taken from the movie, go to the writers, producers, directors, etc. I own only Alexandra Taren, and any original content that I make her do or say. That is all."

* * *

Chapter 11

"If a man does not embrace his past, he has no future." Horus flies in from his latest journey and lands on Alex's outstretched arm. Ardeth takes the latest note from him and grins when Horus jumps to Alex's shoulder and nuzzles himself against her cheek. She smiles at the falcon, and then blushes at Ardeth's intense gaze before turning to Rick as he responds to Ardeth's latest statement. Ardeth hasn't let it go since he saw the tattoo on Rick's wrist.

Rolling his eyes, he says, "Look… even if, I was some sort of sacred Medjai, what good does that do me now?" Ardeth takes a seat across from him while Rick works on his guns and bullets. Alex lets Horus go back and settle into the spot on the ship that Ardeth had sort of designated for him. Then she joins Ardeth at his side as he answers Rick. "It is the missing piece of your heart. If you embrace it, if you accept it, you can do anything."

Rick looks to Alex, obviously looking for some kind of help on her part. But he realizes he probably should've known better. She was in love with the Medjai after all. There was only so much argument she was going to be willing to give to this situation. Still, he finds himself surprised a bit when she shrugs at him and comments, "All things considered, it'd be kind of wonderful if at least one of us could do anything. Like slay the scorpion king, his entire army, and save Jason all in one fell swoop? Yeah. That might be nice."

Rick can't help the grin that comes to his face, though he does roll his eyes again as he says, "Sounds great, from both of you." Then, after he glances at Evie at the other end of the ship, he says, "Alright, let's get down to a more serious topic. What can we expect from our old friend Imhotep?" Alex turns to Ardeth as well, ready to hear that. And though he still clearly thought that Rick's tattoo and his destiny were very serious topics to consider, he resigns himself to not convincing the man at this point. Rick, ever the stubborn man, probably wouldn't be convinced until the very last minute.

Plus Alex puts a hand on his arm, and the look in her eyes seems to plead with him to change the subject. She wasn't against his idea, in any sense. But she also understood that even if it was true, Rick just didn't care right now. All he cared about, was getting Jason back. Everything else other than that was irrelevant. Squeezing his arm, Alex smiles a bit, but nods and asks, "Will it be the same as last time?"

Ardeth tilts his head at her, glancing down at the hand she has on his arm. That question, whether she meant it to or not, held a series of different meanings. Would Imhotep be the same as last time? Would they have a chance to stop him, or were they already doomed?

Would they be going their separate ways after this, if they managed to defeat him again?

The last question was the one he wasn't certain about right now. He had plans in his head… hopes that this time could somehow end differently for them. But at the moment, that's all they were. Plans. He'd need to have a discussion with the tribal elders before he could confirm whether or not he had a solution yet.

For now though, as Alex's hand loosens on him, a slight blush coming to her cheeks as she realizes the intimacy of the touch, he covers her hand with his own. Brushing against the backs of her fingers with his thumb, he assures she keep her hand where it is. Then he nods to them both and says, "Imhotep's powers are returning quickly. By the time he reaches Ahm Shere, even the Scorpion King won't be able to stop him."

Alex sighs at the idea of having to faceoff with what she's fairly certain is the twin of the Anti-Christ again. But at the stressed look on Rick's face, she shrugs and says offhandedly, "Add killing Imhotep a second time to the list I shit we should hope we can pull off in 'one fell swoop' that I just made up a moment ago." Rick tries not to grin at her, he really does. But he finally just gives up, chuckling as he responds, "Dually noted."

Alex smiles at that, but then frowns when Rick looks from her to Ardeth, and then back to her again. The seriousness returns to his expression, and she's taken back a bit when he asks the Medjai, "And what about her?"

For a moment, Ardeth thinks the same way that Alex does; that Rick is trying to butt in to Alex's personal life and keep them apart for her own good. Which, all things considered, this was not the most appropriate time to be addressing that. Not to mention the way it made Alex let go of him, regardless of his hand over hers. She was clearly trying to keep in mind the fact that he would probably be leaving them again when all was said and done.

Ardeth sighs, and would honestly rather just pull Alex aside and have a private conversation with her at this point. He'd rather hoped to discuss such things with her afterwards, when they weren't in the middle of a world-ending crisis. He also didn't want to give her false hope. But… well, he also hated being the thing that was causing her to feel miserable, in any sense.

But before he can pulls her aside, Rick points to Alex and explains what he's really asking about. "With the whole… blue eyes and Eye of Horus tattooed briefly on her forehead? When are we going to address that?"

Ardeth honestly hadn't been thinking about bringing it up. If the Goddess hadn't revealed the fact that Alex was chosen to her by now, on her own, then maybe there was a reason that Alex didn't know. What that could be, he wasn't aware. But he didn't want to be the one interfering with those plans. But now that Rick had thrown it out there, Alex looks between the two of them in confusion. Eyeing Ardeth when he doesn't look at all confused by Rick's statement, she asks, "What?"

He simply takes one of her hands in his, his thumb rubbing the back of her knuckles comfortingly. Finding her eyes with his, he sighs before explaining, "Before we went into the museum to save Evie… you were briefly occupied by one of the Gods."

She looks at him, then at Rick, and then back at him. She honestly didn't want to believe that. Because… well, on top of all the other shit that they were dealing with, there was no way they could afford for her to become possessed. At least, that's how she was looking at it anyway. Rick was destined to kill the Scorpion King, Evie was having dreams about a past life that they were still worrying about, Imhotep was returning, Anck Su Namun was probably back by now as well… and on top of that, now Alex was being possessed by ancient Egyptian spirits.

Great. Just freaking peachy.

But Ardeth… he didn't seem worried about it. Not in any urgent sense, anyways. In fact, he seemed to be explaining it with a reverence, as though his ability to speak about it, to look at her and know this new fact about her, was an honor in his eyes.

Alex isn't really sure how to digest all this information. But finally, she simply asks curiously, "Is that why I dropped the shotgun?" Rick nods warily for a moment, worried at what her reaction might be. But then he can't help but laugh and wonder why he'd been worried, when she just blurts out, "Well damn. And when was anyone going to tell me about that?" Rick shrugs, "When we had time. Now seems as good as any. And you don't remember that?" "No!"

Ardeth gives her hand a squeeze, trying to comfort her about the part that clearly bothered her most. The fact that she couldn't remember be overtaken in the first place. Then he says gently, "I believe I know which God it was as well. She appeared to me again at the bridge after we lost Jason. She told me you needed comfort." Alex turns to him and is about to ask who the hell possessed her body, but then her eyes glaze over and she turns so she's facing the side of the ship again. Rick frowns and waves a hand in front of her face. But she doesn't respond, or blink, or move at all.

Jonathan comes over and asks, "What's wrong with her?" "Probably being possessed again." But Ardeth moves to kneel in front of her and shakes his head before saying, "I do not think that is what this is." Because her eyes weren't glowing, and there was no voice speaking to them with a message from the Goddess. Alex simply seemed, for lack of a better explanation, trapped in some sort of spell-like trance.

Which she was. For while Ardeth was cupping her face, trying to get a response out of her again, Alex finds herself suddenly standing in a room filled with people dressed in Ancient Egyptian. There's a voice, which she realizes is Imhotep's, that says its time to remind her of who she is.

She knows he's not talking to her. She feels like she did before, when she was in Evie's vision that led them to the bracelet of Anubis. And in fact, she's pretty sure Imhotep isn't talking to Evie either.

Alex makes her way closer up so she can see what everyone else in the room is watching, and finds herself standing in the midst of the Pharaoh himself. And Imhotep is by his side. Looking around some more as the fight starts on the floor below, she realizes that she's still dressed as she was before she came into this vision. Where everyone else seemed to be from back in the times of ancient Egypt, she still looked like a woman from the twenty-first century. And as she tries to reach out and touch someone else in the place, her hand goes right through them.

So, she's a ghost here. Convenient. Then she sighs, "Well, unless I need to fight my way out of here somehow. Then I'm screwed."

As the fight on the floor continues and one of them falls, Alex rushes closer again upon seeing Evie's face behind the mask of the girl on the floor. "Evie?"

And then there's the new lady in Imhotep's life, the one who resembles Anck Su Namun. She tells Evie to put her mask back on so they don't scar her face, and Alex has half a mind to go down there and break her nose for it. Of course, she's a ghost, so she wouldn't be able to anyway. But still…

But even as she begins taking her first step, she suddenly finds herself restrained. A hand on her shoulder pulls her back. And as she turns to look, she sees a woman with the head of a lioness beside her, an ethereal blue coming off her in a glow. Alex stares at her, and in the back of her mind, realizes that maybe she should feel a little terrified. She was standing in front of a woman with a lion-head for Pete's sake. But… she simply didn't feel frightened. In fact… she almost felt as though she were looking at an old friend… even though she's quite certain she's never seen this person in her life before.

Finally, though this entire thing still feels rather surreal to her, Alex simply says, "She's threatening my sister." The woman smiles gently, "This is all in the past, child. For now, you need to watch, as does your cousin. It is time that you as well, discover your role in all of this."

Alex tilts her head at the woman, but turns back to the show to watch, not happy about standing still, but obeying nonetheless.

And when the fight appears to be over, Alex listens as Anck Su Namun tells Evie, "You are learning quickly, Nefertiri." Alex turns to the woman beside her, "Nefertiri? That's…" "Watch." She turns back and listens. Anck Su Namun then smirks, "I'll have to watch my back."

And Alex can't help it. She smiles a bit when Evie… or Nefertiri… says, "Yes… and I'll watch mine."

The Pharaoh then comes down and says, "Bravo, bravo! Who better to protect the bracelet of Anubis, than my lovely daughter, Nefertiri. And who better to protect me, than my future wife, Anck Su Namun."

And as Nefertiri… Evie… is hugging her father, Alex watches as well as Imhotep and Anck Su Namun share a look of longing behind the King's back.

Then the vision blurs, and Alex looks around her at the smoke that engulfs her while they move. "What's happening?" The woman who is apparently moving with her through these past memories says calmly, "We are moving forward. There is more to see child."

Alex has a sarcastic reply on the tip of her tongue. Something about how she doesn't understand how they're moving so quickly through time without a DeLorean. But it dies before it can leave her mouth when she finds herself now standing in a sacred temple with the Pharaoh. He is praying it seems like, and as Alex looks at the statue he is worshipping, she glances back at the woman with a hand on her shoulder. Eyes widening, she asks, "He's praying to you?"

The woman smiles gently, "Yes, child. People who are about to die are keen to certain things. The king did not realize it at the time, but he felt that something was about to go very wrong. And so, he came here before he went out into the rest of his evening, and he pleaded with me to grant him one request upon his death, whenever it should come to pass." "And what was that?"

But Alex turns back to the Pharaoh as he speaks in his Egyptian tongue and pleads, "Please Goddess Wadjet, I beseech you. I do not know if these dark feelings of premonition are just the superstitions of an old man, or if they mean something more. But I beg this of you. If I am to die, please protect my child. Protect my daughter, Nefertiri. Her task is great and may grow burdensome. Help her to not bear it alone. Give her protection and support. I ask these things of you Goddess. Please hear my plea."

Smoke engulfs them again after that, and Alex looks at the woman with her. Confusion wracking her features, she says, "I… don't understand." Another gentle smile, and then the Goddess answers plainly, "Your friend Evie is the reincarnated Nefertiri. The woman with Imhotep is Anck Su Namun reincarnated." Wadjet then traces Alex's face tenderly, "And you… you are my chosen. And as Nefertiri has been reincarnated over the years, so I have always chosen another soul of my own to be her guardian, protector and friend. And in this life… that is you. I chose you, for your heart and courage and devotion. I chose you for all the strength you have had in spite of your circumstances and your past. I chose you for the love you have for those you care about, and your willingness to die for them should they need it from you. You are everything I could've hoped for in a guardian, warrior, and protector."

As the smoke finally clears, Alex finds herself near the end of a balcony with Nefertiri, watching as Anck Su Namun and Imhotep begin making out and dishonoring the Pharaoh. And as the Pharaoh finally appears on the scene too… well, Alex has a feeling of her own, that this is definitely not going to end well. And as Imhotep and Anck Su Namun disarm the Pharaoh and prepare to attack him, Nefertiri sends the Medjai after her father, knowing he will need help.

Alex is moving closer to her, the desire to help her cousin… even if this version isn't necessarily Evie, still stronger than any aversion she has of being in this place at all. And she might not even be able to touch Nefertiri. Her hands might just go through her like a ghost, as she did with the others in this place. But… well, she has to do something.

Before she can get close enough though, she finds herself passed by another figure that had already been in the room.

The face of this man is not her own. And as she watches… well, his face and figure keeps changing before her. First a man's face, then a woman's face. First tan, then pale white, and then black, and then tan again. The person before her, approaching Nefertiri as she had been, seems to be taking on many faces at once. Until finally, it ends on her own face, and Alex stares at herself in shock before asking, "They're all me?"

Wadjet puts a hand on her shoulder again, "No. But they have all shared your role. The role of Nefertiri's guardian and protector. I answered the Pharaoh's dying prayer, and granted her a friend and companion to share her burden after he was gone. All the faces you just saw were those that filled in that role through each generation, as Nefertiri has been reincarnated."

Both hands are on Alex's shoulders now, and Wadjet says, "You are hopefully the last I will need, and you have been by far the best of all those I have chosen in the past. And for your devotion and loyalty, I promise you shall be rewarded. Now go. I have kept you long enough. You feel it don't you? She is in danger."

Alex frowns in confusion, but then she does feel it. Somewhere in her gut, she feels as though something is about to go very wrong. Turning back to the balcony, somehow knowing that is the direction she needs to look, she sees Imhotep and Anck Su Namun beginning to kill the king. And she sees the guardian from centuries past, the man who was apparently the first to take on this role of protector, run after Nefertiri, who is lunging over the balcony without thought, as though about to leap off of it. And had the guardian not been there, she would've fallen to her death.

And then Alex can see in between of what is the vision and what is reality. She can see Evie as clearly as she saw Nefertiri on the balcony.

Except Evie is lunging forward, over the edge of this ship. And Alex is the only guardian here.

Ardeth and Rick had been attempting to get her to respond when her body suddenly stood up slowly. She moved to the middle of the sitting area between them, and Rick had been asking Ardeth what the hell was happening, when Alex's head snapped in Evie's direction.

The tattoo on her back, the compass she'd had since she first turned eighteen, seemed to give off the same blue glow as her eyes had before. Somehow becoming a directional beacon, which told her exactly where she needed to look, exactly where she needed to go, in order to get her job done.

And though her eyes finally cleared and could see again, which almost had everyone relaxing, they all jump in shock, including Izzy, when Alex sprinted forward shouting, "PRINCESS!" "NAI!"

Alex is just in time, grabbing Evie by her wrist and locking her hand around it while gripping the net on the side of the ship with her other. Her shoulder wrenches as it twists in a painful way, but she keeps her grip as Rick and the others race towards them. Looking up at them, panting and wincing, she says, "I can't pull us up!"

Rick and Ardeth grab the net and start hauling while Alex tries to help Evie reach high enough for Rick to take her hand. Once Rick has her, Alex feels Ardeth's arms wrap around her and pull her back on board as well. Slumping down to the ground once back on, she winces as Ardeth touches her right shoulder. He eases back, but at her nod, he checks it again. Shaking his head, he says, "You've dislocated it." "Can you fix it?" He nods after a moment, and then places his hands firmly on either side of her shoulder. "On three?" "Please don't count, just… Ah!"

He snaps it back into place without any other warning. Alex gives him a brief glare, but then can't help laughing a bit when he raises an eyebrow at her. "You told me not to count." "So I did." Sighing in relief now that everything is fine again, she thumps her head back against the side of the ship and says, "Damn. That was terrifying."

Ardeth gives her a look, apparently not appreciating her sarcasm right now, so she tilts her head, "What?" "Never do that again." Eyes widening, Alex declares, "I was fine! Evie's the one we need to worry about! Throwing herself off of ships. Even if she was stuck in a vision, no excuse. We're going to have to have a talk."

Ardeth finally just shakes his head at her, a grin fighting it's way onto his face, in spite of him trying to hide it. Alex grins back, and then laughs when he says, "Perhaps you are right. But now I am the one who hates flying."

He helps her to her feet after that, steadying her and letting his hands check her shoulder again to make sure he's satisfied that she's okay. Then he plants a kiss to her forehead before sighing in relief and taking her hand in his. Pulling her along with him, they move to join the others in sitting down together. But as she makes to sit with at least a little space between them, he tugs on her enough so she falls into his side.

The blush that stains her cheeks makes him fight to hide another grin, though not nearly as hard as before. Wrapping an arm around her to hold her close, he kisses the side of her head again, and then simply shrugs to the raised eyebrow she gives him when she turns to glance at him.

She turns back to Evie after a moment, who is looking at the two of them with a grin of her own. And she might've been about to comment on how cute they looked together, but Alex cuts her off with a pointed stare. Then she physically points at her sternly and orders, "Start talking. Explain to them what just happened." "How do you…" "I was there too. Just… start talking. I'll fill in what you can't."

And when Evie gets to the part about being the bracelet's protector and being the reincarnation of Nefertiri, Rick looks to Alex and asks, "And you?" "I'm her protector."

Shrugging at everyone's widening eyes, she adds, "Aside from you, of course. I was here before even you were. I've practically always been there." Evie nods with a smile, but then asks, "But how… I don't…" Alex shrugs again, but answers, "She… showed me how it happened while you were seeing other things, I'm sure. But… the Pharaoh, Nefertiri's dad, had a bad feeling before going to see his bride. He went to a temple somewhere and prayed to the Goddess Wadjet."

She turns to Ardeth and asks, "Is that who you thought you saw?" "Yes." "Well, score one for you. He prayed to her that if he should die, she provide protection for his daughter. A friend and guardian to help carry the burden she would have to carry alone otherwise." Evie asks, "So… you're reincarnated to?" "No. The way I understand it, you get reincarnated, and then eventually Wadjet chooses someone who is worthy of becoming your protector in that life. I don't look anything like any of my predecessors. She showed me their faces, and they're all different. I'm just who she picked this time."

Leaning back, Alex adds in confusion, "She did mention that I was the best person she'd chosen throughout the centuries as of this point in time. Which I don't see how that's possible, since she's been picking these people for over three-thousand years. But… props to me I suppose." Ardeth grins a little at her, and then turns to Evie when she says, "Don't you see Rick? It all makes perfect sense now."

Rick gives them both a look at the idea that all of this crazy shit somehow makes perfect sense now. Then he asks, "And that's the reason why we found the bracelet?" "Exactly, I was it's protector." Ardeth nods to him, "Now do you believe, my friend? Clearly, just like Alex, you were destined to protect this woman." Rick huffs, "Right. She's a reincarnated princess, Alex is a chosen guardian from a Goddess with a lioness head, and I'm a warrior for God."

But instead of being deterred by his tone, Ardeth nods firmly, "And your son leads the way to Ahm Shere. All four sides of the pyramid. This was all preordained thousands of years ago." Evie looks to him, "And how does the story end?" "Only the journey's written. Not the destination."

Alex leans back with a huff while Rick comments, "Convenient." Ardeth then asks in exasperation, "How else do you explain Evie's visions? That it is your son who wears the bracelet? That Alex has been her guardian and friend long before it was ever really even necessary? And how do you explain your mark?" "Coincidence."

Ardeth shakes his head, "My friend, there is a fine line between coincidence and fate." And as Rick makes to argue, Alex butts in, "Well, I'm all for it." Looking to her, exasperation of his own showing, he says wearily, "Not you too now." "Yep. Sorry Rick. But having an ancient spirit stand beside you and put their hand on your shoulder is kind of a hard thing to just ignore."

Rick rolls his eyes and Alex laughs at him while rising to her feet. Standing at the front of the ship now, she looks out over the horizon as the sun begins to peak over the sand stretched in front of them.

She can feel Ardeth come to stand next to her, and for a moment they just stand there in silence. Then she asks, "How did you know it was her? Was it her face?" Ardeth nods, "That, and the Eye of Horus she had on your forehead when she spoke to us through you. Wadjet is greatly related to the Eye of Horus." Alex nods, and then can't help grinning a bit when Ardeth asks, "What troubles you?" "I'm not…" "You are troubled." "And how do you know that?"

He turns her to face him a bit, and then gently reaches up to touch her left temple with his fingers. Tapping there gently, he says, "You have a vein here that becomes more prominent when you are troubled." "Great. That's attractive." "It is, in fact."

She stares at him for a moment, eyes widening at his boldness. And she was also confused… because it wasn't lost on her that they were still going in separate directions in life. At least, as far as she was aware.

As her eyes narrow slightly, Ardeth traces his fingers down the rest of her face. Shaking his head, a sign that she shouldn't ask him about it right now, he then repeats, "Why are you troubled?" Alex stares at him for a moment longer, but then relaxes. Shrugging, she sighs, "I'm just… she said she picked me because of who I already was. I guess… I'm just wondering if any part of me changed once she chose me." "No."

Tilting her head, she asks, "How can you be so sure?" "Because you told us what she said. If she had instilled upon you any extra talents, they would be noticeable. The Scorpion King had a golden bracelet and a ghost army. Imhotep has powers that defy logic in this world. But you..."

He comes closer and wraps his arms around her. She rests her head on his chest as he says, "You are exactly who you would be without her. That is how she chose you. They do not change who a person is. They simply instill certain thoughts or feelings. Like how you knew a moment ago that Evie was about to jump off of the ship before anyone else even knew what was going on. How you sometimes know exactly which way to go, even if no one else can figure out the way. But inside, where it matters most, you are still you."

Alex nods after a moment, and then tells him, "She said I would be rewarded. For everything I've done, I mean." Ardeth nods and then presses a kiss to the top of her head, "Whatever she has in store for you, I'm sure it will be something you will love till the day you die." She thinks of him instantly at that. Because if somehow they could work out a way to be together, that would be the thing she wanted most. Snuggling closer to him, she sighs, "Let's just get this over with first. I'm ready to get my nephew and take him home." "You will, Alex. And I truly fear for the safety of anyone who should try to get in your way.

* * *

"They've gone. We've lost them."

Alex follows Evie into the city to search for signs that someone had been there. And upon hearing Ardeth's declaration from the train, she looks over at Evie, "Don't worry, Evie. You've got, literally, the smartest kid on the face of this planet. Keep looking. I'm sure he left us something."

And as they keep looking around, Alex smiles when she finds Jason's tie, and then a sandcastle nearby. "Evie!" She hurries over and takes the tie off the wall, and then moves to stand beside Alex. "Rick!" Alex bends down to study the sculpture while Rick and Ardeth hurry to find them, guns cocking to make sure they're ready for anything. Looking up at Evie, she says, "Maybe scream in a way that sounds a little less like we're about to be killed or something." "Right."

Turning to Rick, Evie says, "Jason left us his tie. And… he made us a little sand castle. It's the Temple Island of Philae. They've gone to Philae." Rick sighs in relief, "That-a-boy, Jason." Alex rises with the rest of them and they hurry back to the ship to start their journey again. Horus jumps onto Alex's shoulder when she's back on board, and Ardeth writes a note to the commanders and sticks in on his leg and sends him off. Alex looks down at the hand he leaves on her shoulder as he watches his bird fly away.

He moves his gaze to her when she takes his hand and pulls him to sit down with her in front of where Izzy is piloting the balloon. Settling into his side, she sighs, "At least we know he's okay." "Yes, and that is good." "Still not good enough." Ardeth doesn't contest that. He simply wraps his arms around her, holding tightly while he assures, "We will get him back, Alexandra. I promise." She turns her gaze to him, and then nods before saying softly, "I believe you." "Good." He traces her face delicately with his hand, and then presses a kiss to the top of her head before they both look out at the horizon worriedly. Because in spite of Jason helping know there he was, they could both feel that this journey of theirs was far from over.

* * *

The next sculpture is of the temple of Abu Simbel, and Jason leaves his jacket over that one.

They get to following that clue as well, and end up traveling at least another three days or so before getting to the next one and finding that next clue.

Now they're in the air again. In the midst of some canyon wall around them, Rick points down and comments, "That's the Blue Nile down there. We must be out of Egypt by now." Alex smiles when Evie explains, "In ancient times, all this still belonged to the upper kingdom. The oasis must be around here somewhere." Rick nods and then says assuredly to his wife, "Don't worry Evie, we'll find him. He's a smart kid, he'll leave us a sign."

At the back of the ship now, Ardeth comes up to Alex's side and smiles when Horus jumps over from his shoulder to hers. She smiles back, and then Ardeth says, "Horus has never befriended an outsider before. No matter how good a friend they happen to be." Alex nods, "Well, he probably just figures I'm an exceptionally good friend considering I helped stop Imhotep the first time around."

She looks out behind them again, but then catches her breath when Ardeth says, "Perhaps he understands you are more than just a friend to me." The man's eyes lock on hers and refuse to let her leave his gaze. That was usually her specialty; trapping someone in her gaze. And usually she used that talent to scare the shit out of people.

But right now, Ardeth has her captive, and the warmth that rests in his eyes is something that can't be mistaken. He still hasn't outright told her that he loves her, but she can't really fault him for that. She hadn't said it to him either. And it's not like the way he treated her wasn't evidence of some of his affections. But this, his eyes on her and his comment about her being more than just a friend? That was the closest either of them had come to confessing their feelings so far.

Alex knows her cheeks are blushing, but she can't turn away from him. Then he smiles gently at her and says, "Come, Atheer. Don't tell me you did not suspect."

She shifts her eyes down to look at his chest, which might not have been the best move, but at least it wasn't his eyes. She'd spill out her entire heart to him if she continued to remain locked in his gaze, and she's not entirely sure she's quite ready for that. She knows there's a great chance that after this is all over, he'll still have to leave them again. And then what would she do? Taking a breath, she says, "I… well… I…" "I am a Medjai, and that will always be a part of me. And I did leave you last time to return to my people."

He takes her hand in his, drawing it up to his lips. Kissing her knuckles gently, he adds softly, "But not a day went by that I didn't wish to see you again. That I didn't wonder if you had moved on or if you might still someday be mine." Alex's breath catches in her throat again. Okay, if that wasn't a blatant declaration from him saying that he wanted her and loved her, she didn't know what was.

Her heart is beating faster than she's ever felt before. And for the first time in her life, words fail her. She can't think of anything grand to say back to him. Not that she was a wordy person in the first place, but he always had a rather eloquent way of saying certain things. Like he had just now. And Alex… she just didn't have that same ability.

But she wants to give him something in return. So finally, swallowing thickly, she says breathlessly, "I missed you. A lot. Like… more than is probably healthy."

Ardeth grins a little at that and kisses her knuckles again. It may not have been as flamboyant a declaration as his, but he hadn't expected one from her. He'd honestly expected a more sarcastic expression of her feelings towards him. But he'd apparently surprised her enough with the suddenness of his statement. He actually feels quite proud of the fact that he'd apparently shocked her to the point where she couldn't think of something more to respond to him with.

And as he lifts his lips from her hand, finding her deep blue eyes watching him and sparkling with wonder and hope, he takes a step closer so they're faces are but an inch apart. And Alex wonders, thinks, and hopes even; that he might be about to lean forward and kiss her.

That's when everything around them begins rumbling. Looking around them, she looks back to Ardeth, and curses under her breath before they both turn to hurry to the front of the ship with the others. Alex asks Rick, "Any ideas?" "Just one." They look at each other, and Alex says, "Damn it. He knows we're here."

"WE'RE IN TROUBLE!" They all turn to Izzy, and then to the wall of water that is hurriedly speeding towards them. And then there's a face in the water, just like there had been a face in the sandstorm back at Hamunaptra. Alex tilts her head and says, "You'd think he'd come up with something more original. Izzy! Get us out of here!"

She then turns to Ardeth and asks, "Where's Horus?" Ardeth calls to his falcon, and then hurriedly sends him off of the dirigible and into the air to escape the tidal wave approaching. Rick turns to Izzy and says, "Izzy, come hard right!" The pilot looks to Rick as he points and shouts, "Starboard! Starboard!"

Slipping between the narrower canyon walls is clever, but not exactly safe. Alex falls to the ground along with everyone else as they jerk back and then around to avoid being drowned by Imhotep's huge face.

And on top of her, Ardeth ends up falling. He supports himself on his arms, but doesn't get up from her, shielding her since he's already here. She jerks him down closer as something comes whizzing through the air that almost hit him in the side.

He stares down at her, and she suddenly realizes one of his legs has slipped between hers. They're pressed as close together as two people possibly can be. Well, with clothes still on anyway. She looks up at him, in his deep brown eyes, and then she looks to his lips.

Probably not her best idea at this moment in time. She always happens to be admiring him at the worst possible moments. But when his eyes dart down to look at her lips too, she doesn't feel quite as bad about it. Then he simply raises an eyebrow and says, "Sorry. I'm not trying to crush you."

Alex remembers on the bus, when she'd apologized to him for the same thing. Grinning at his humor, she says on a laugh, "It's cool. I think I owe you one anyway. I seem to recall landing on top of you while we were on your first bus ride." Ardeth grins at her, and then looks up as all the sound around them ceases. Taking her hand and pulling her up with him, he wraps her in his arms and sighs in relief before looking over as Jonathan says, "Uh. People?"

They all turn to see what he's looking at, and it is exactly what Evie said it would be. It's an oasis. Ardeth keeps Alex in his arms still as they look around them, and then says, "Ahm Shere." Alex turns to look over at Evie, only to find Evie watching her with a bemused grin on her face.

It's then that Alex realizes she's in the same position, once again, where she'd seen Rick and Evie countless times. Where Rick would wrap his arms around Evie, and she'd lean into his embrace, resting her hands on his chest, and keeping herself as close to him as possible. And that's what Alex was doing now. Her hands were on Ardeth's chest, his arms were around her, and she had just about leaned forward to rest her head on his chest again.

It's wonderful. It really is. But she seriously needs to get a grip, because she can't be losing herself in his arms right now. After they get Jason back, and save the known world, then she'll have time to ponder about Ardeth, and herself, and what other possible situations they could get into. But right now, Jason comes first. He has to.

That doesn't make her step out of Ardeth's arms, or Evie from looking at her with a grin. But she feels she's sufficiently stopped herself from swooning for the time being.

Rick takes out a telescope and looks to find the pyramid. As soon as he sees the giant diamond on top, the sun reflecting off the bright surface and winking at them, he says, "Right. That's where we're going, I guess."

And then the shaking starts again, and they all turn to look at the tidal wave reforming and Imhotep's face appearing once again. Alex huffs, "Shit. Doesn't he ever know when to quit." Ardeth holds her tighter and she finally wraps her arms around his neck to hold him in return.

Well, so much for her berating herself and not getting any closer. But seriously, if she was going to die now, why shouldn't she die wrapped up in his arms. And then the balloon stops moving forward altogether, and they all start dropping towards the ground below them. Ardeth ends up on top of her again, on the floor of the dirigible, as Rick shouts, "HANG ON!"

And hanging on was indeed a requirement at this point. Because the fall down to the forest floor was possibly the bumpiest ride they'd ever been on.

* * *

Once they've landed… or crashed more like, Alex leans back to sit up and looks all around her. Evie and Rick are alright, and Jonathan seems to be okay and is helping Izzy at the moment. Which she admits, he's probably just trying to get close to the golden rod again… but she'll berate him for that again later.

She's on top of Ardeth now, apparently having rolled over in the crash. As she looks down at him though, her eyes widen and she grips his shoulders. "Ardeth. Ardeth! Hey, wake up." He's out like a light, and she shakes him harder to try and rouse him. Putting her ear to his chest, she finds his heartbeat and sighs in relief. At least he wasn't dead. But he was, apparently, unconscious. Which they definitely didn't have time for. Leaning down near his ear, she says, "Wake up, damn it. We don't have all day. Hey!"

She jerks up with him when he snaps awake and sits up instantly. For a moment his entire body is tense and on high alert, his eyes scanning the area around them. His arms still wrap around her though, and he holds her so close to him that she no longer has to wonder whether he has a six-pack or not. She can feel it, even through the layers of their clothing.

He takes a minute more to look around them, deeming the area secure for the moment. Then he looks to her in his lap. "Are you alright, Atheer?" Alex had been about to tell him not to ask such a stupid question, since he's the one who had scared the shit out of her by being unconscious. But at his use of this new word again, she tilts her head and instead asks, "What are you even saying when you call me that?" Ardeth smiles a little in relief, but simply answers, "I'll tell you some day. Are you alright?" "I'm fine. You're the one that was unconscious."

Sighing in relief herself, she then adds, "Never do that to me again, by the way. I thought you were dead for a minute." He chuckles a little and hugs her even closer and says, "Forgive me." "Sure."

When he doesn't release her, she looks down at his face again. Blushing, she says, "Um… we kind of need to get moving." "Are you sure you've forgiven me?" "Yeah." He tilts his head, eyes narrowing in what she thinks might be a teasing fashion, and then he says, "I am not so sure. You don't sound very convincing." Raising her eyebrows at him in surprise, she asks, "Oh really? And what exactly would make me sound convincing?"

His hand sneaks up behind her neck, and he tugs her closer until her lips are beside his ear. His are at her neck, and she can feel his breath wash over her skin and even his lips graze the tender flesh as he says, "You can say it outright. Tell me you forgive me, Atheer. I don't think I could stand it if I thought you hadn't."

Her breaths were coming faster to her, and as his lips brushed just slightly over the skin of her neck again, she shivered and bit down on her lip hard to keep from letting out anything that sounded like a whimper. Seriously; now was not the time for that.

Though, considering he's the one instigating this, he must not seem to mind the awful timing of it. Not completely, anyway.

Finally, with his hand massaging the back of her neck gently, she turns so her lips are next to his ear. Whispering softly, her hands now on his shoulders, she says, "I forgive you, Ardeth."

He pauses at her words, and Alex leans in a little closer so her lips just barely touch the top of his ear. His hand tenses a little at the sensation, and then he grips her sides gently and says, "See? Now I'm convinced, Atheer." "Seriously, what are you calling me?"

He chuckles, both at her question and at the breathless tone with which she asks it. Letting her lean back from him now, he says, "I promise I will tell you later. For now, you are right. We need to get moving." She narrows her eyes at him, clearly not thrilled that he was using her excuse to end their already inappropriate conversation. But finally, when all he does is grin, she rolls her eyes, "Fine, but I'm highly offended." "I'll make it up to you, Atheer."

Alex rolls her eyes once more as he uses the word again. Then she stands up, offering him a hand to help him as well. Then she looks around them at the mess that is now their dirigible, and says, "I need to find my bag." "Indeed. I'll help you."

As soon as they've finally gathered all of their gear, Rick says to Izzy, "We're gonna go get my son. Then we're gonna wanna get out of here fast, so make this work, Izzy." Alex rolls her eyes as Izzy says, "No, no, you don't understand, Goddamn it. This thing was filled with gas. Not hot air… gas! I need gas to get this thing off the ground. Where am I gonna get gas from around here? Huh? Bananas? Mangos? Tarzan's ass?"

And though Alex finds the last comment funny, she holds her bag out to the side. She's honestly expected Jonathon or Rick to take it. They'd done it in the past for her when she'd needed her hands free to handle her daggers better.

Ardeth is the one that takes it from her, slinging it over his shoulder. Then he watches as she pulls out two daggers, throwing one right at Izzy's foot, making him jump, and the other she twirls in her hand as she steps up to him.

She doesn't even have to say anything to him to make him chill. He finally just says, in a slightly calmer tone, "Well, maybe I could finagle it to take hot air." Rick smirks at him, "That's my man. Thanks Izzy." "But O'Connell, do you know how many cubic meters I'd need? It's too big!"

Alex is about to march up to him again, already having retrieved her dagger from the ground, but willing to throw it again nonetheless. Ardeth catches her arm though and says, "Easy. He knows he's got a job to do, and he'll do it. Let him complain a bit. He seems to enjoy it." "I don't have time for him to complain." "We don't have time for you to waste daggers frightening him."

She narrows her eyes up at him, but then sighs and holds out her hand for her bag again. Ardeth simply hefts it up higher on his arm and says, "Come. We must find your nephew. Quickly." She nods, not missing the new urgency with which he says that. She wasn't sure what had changed in the past minute or so… but if she thinks about it, he seemed to have been growing more concerned every day. Every time they got to the next stop, and instead of Jason they found another clue, Ardeth seemed to grow more agitated. Which… well, for the Medjai, didn't tell much, because he was very good at hiding. Alex probably only noticed because she was always watching him.

Something she reminds herself she shouldn't be doing so often. But in any case, his agitation in this moment is much more apparent, and she's not sure why. But, he was right, regardless of why. They needed to get a move on, find Jason, and then get the hell out of here. Immediately, if possible. So with that in mind, she heads off to follow after Rick, heading into this massive jungle to catch up with Imhotep and his henchmen.

And when Ardeth calls to Horus, since his arms are full, Alex holds out her hand for him to land on. Horus nuzzles her cheek for a moment, and then holds out his leg so Ardeth can attach the latest message for him to carry. Alex does it instead, Ardeth's arms still full at the moment. Rick and Jonathon finally take some of the bags from him, and when Horus takes off again, Alex takes her bag back and says as explanation, "Who knows when I'll need to grab one. I'd rather be holding it."

Ardeth had simply raised an eyebrow at her, but hadn't argued the point. He simply made sure to stay behind her, occasionally putting a hand on her hip whenever they reached a more treacherous bit of terrain, ensuring that she didn't lose her footing and stayed upright.

Alex wasn't really worried. She'd always been pretty good about staying on her feet. She was an expert warrior for crying out loud. She didn't need help.

But she wouldn't refuse his. And considering he knew she was a warrior, he also must know she didn't need it. So every time he touched her, it made her smile a little, because it was obviously simply because he wanted to, not because he actually thought she needed his help.

And that's when a shot rang out. Amidst the vast and quiet jungle, it was like a gong going off. No one for miles would've missed it. Everyone jerked towards the sound, and then Alex's eyes widened when Ardeth shouted, "Horus?"

No answer. The falcon doesn't call out, and doesn't return.

Ardeth stays stock still for a moment, and then turns when Alex gently grips his arm.

Her eyes hold a sadness in them, but also an understanding. She knows he needs to leave. He has to get to the other tribes, and warn them of where they need to be.

But if he leaves, their chances of getting Jason back alive drop tremendously. Oh, he doesn't doubt that they could still do it. With Alex with them, Jason was almost guaranteed to make it back alive.

But that was kind of the point. Ardeth knows that Alex would see to it that the boy got to the pyramid, was protected and kept safe and returned home. So no, his concern right now wasn't really for Jason. The boy would be fine. No… no, his real concern was what would happen to Alex if he left. Would she still be alive, if he didn't stay here to help?

He'd promised himself that he would help her get her nephew back. And come hell or high water, he would do that.

She's about to turn away from him, to tell the others that they need to push on and Ardeth would warn the Medjai himself. That's when he grips her hand in his, and takes a place in front of her while telling Rick to get a move on.

Rick blinks and asks, "But… I thought…" Ardeth moves past them, keeping Alex with him as he goes to the front of the group. Looking to Rick, he says, "As soon as we have found your son, I must leave. I have to warn the commanders as quickly as possible. If the army arises, we must be prepared to fight them." Nodding to them all and squeezing Alex's hand in his, he says, "But first I shall help you." Rick nods, "Thank you."

It wasn't lost on any of them that Ardeth probably would've stayed anyway if they'd asked. But they hadn't even had to ask, and that was all because of Alex. Evie glanced back and grinned at Alex's wide-eyed gaze. For her part, Alex didn't comment though. Time was of the essence, more so now than it had been before. They didn't have time for her to dissect the exact reason why Ardeth was still staying with them. So for now, she just treks on with the rest of them, praying that they find Jason before Imhotep decides he doesn't need him anymore.

Though… that doesn't exactly stop her brain from wandering and trying to dissect why he was still staying with them, and if she really was the main reason. And for crying out loud, what did the word 'Atheer' mean?

* * *

Chapter 11! Yay!

Just feel like warning you guys. I start my class for my Master's program tomorrow. Which means lots of reading, writing, and homework that will take away time from this story. I'm not quitting, but just want you to be aware that any delay that occurs in my posting, is a result of my classwork. Just FYI.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: "I do not own any part of the Mummy franchise. Wish I did, because those first two movies were awesome. But I don't. All credit for quotes and scenes taken from the movie, go to the writers, producers, directors, etc. I own only Alexandra Taren, and any original content that I make her do or say. That is all."

* * *

Chapter 12

"You hear that?" Ardeth and Alex look up at Rick, all of them currently hiding out in this position they'd found up off the ground below. This vantage point would serve Evie and Jonathon well, who would remain behind to take out the targets from above. Alex glances to Ardeth, shrugging when he appears to be asking her if she heard anything he didn't. Finally, Ardeth asks, "What?" But Rick just shakes his head dismally, "Nothing. Absolutely nothing." Sighing in understanding, Alex then adds, "Never a good sign. As if this place wasn't creepy enough already."

"I say chaps, look at this." Alex glances over at Jonathon, and then rolls her eyes when he adds excitedly, "Shrunken heads. I'd love to know how they do that!"

All heads swivel to him, and then Jonathon mutters, "Just curious."

Alex sighs and rises to go and see him as he picks up his rifle. Ardeth watches as she takes the gun from her cousin, glances down the barrel for a moment, and then hands it back. "Shoot straight, Jonathon." Smiling gently, he puts a hand on her shoulder and says, "You have my word."

She smiles back at him, and then glances back as Ardeth moves to join them. Nodding towards the gun, he asks, "You any good with that?" Jonathon smiles wide, "All thanks to Alex, but yes I am. Three times Fox and Hound's grand champion I'll have you know." Ardeth looks to Alex, who shrugs, "He might not be much for swinging punches… but he can shoot like nobody's business." To which Jonathon exclaims, "Of course I can! I learned from the best."

Ardeth grins when Alex blushes at the praise. Gently running a hand up her back, he responds, "I have no doubt." Jonathon then looks to Ardeth's sword and asks, "You any good with that?" Ardeth puts his hand on the hilt of his sword, briefly pondering if Alex would actually be offended if he showed off for a second at the expense of her cousin's question.

He finally decides she won't be, and answers, "You'll know soon enough." And with a swift pull, he brings his sword out and up so fast, that even Alex blinks in surprise. More because she hadn't been expecting it though, then from not seeing where it went. Which was to be held at the side of Jonathon's throat. His eyes widen at the proximity of the blade, but Alex isn't worried, nor does she move to make Ardeth put it down. He's no danger to Jonathon. He's no danger to any of them.

Ardeth grins a little, brushing his hand against her back again. Then he explains to Jonathon, "The only way to kill an Anubis warrior is by taking off it's head." Jonathon nods and says breathlessly, "I'll remember that."

Ardeth nods and pulls the blade away, putting it back as though nothing even remotely fantastic or impressive happened. Alex laughs a little at Jonathon, and then pats his shoulder, "Do me proud Jonathon." "Absolutely."

As Ardeth moves to load another gun, he turns when Alex takes it from him and takes over. Grinning, he says gently, "You do load faster." Alex grins back, "I know. Slow-poke." "Ouch." She laughs at his falsely offended face. Handing him another one that's already loaded, she sighs and says, "We'll be heading out soon. Jonathon knows to help give you a clear shot out so you can get to the other elders. Will you be alright after that point?"

Ardeth nods, watching her as she loads up another gun. When she hands it to him again for placement where John or Evie can easily get to it. Tilting his head at her, he asks, "Are you alright?" She nods with a sigh, "I'm fine. Just anxious." Taking a steadying breath, she ponders briefly about telling him that she'd really prefer it if he didn't have to leave them. She knows he has to… but she'd still rather he didn't.

Instead, she lets out a sigh and says, "I just… I want him back." Ardeth nods after a moment. She was easier to read that she realized. He knew what she wanted to say. And he knew why she wanted to say it. But, as he'd been discovering lately, words were not exactly her area of expertise. Not when it came to the feelings between them.

He didn't mind that though. He'd just have to make them his. Running a hand up and down her back again, he says gently, "You'll have him back soon. I promise." She nods in response, but then finally finds herself stopped in her work. Ardeth stills her hands in his, and then draws them to his chest. Placing a finger under her chin, he tilts her head up to look at him. Gently brushing his thumb against her cheek, he says, "I have to leave as soon as I know you have him." Alex nods instantly, "I know." But when she tries to look away from him, he cups her face in his hand to hold her in place. Trying to figure out how to approach this particular detail he needed to tell her, he starts with, "I don't know if I'll see you before then… after the fighting begins."

Alex nods again, and then can't stop her shoulders from slumping as she says, "So… should we say goodbye?" "No." Alex tilts her head at that, confused by the firmness with which he made that statement. He simply takes her hand in his and leads her over to the rock wall nearby them. With her back against it, Alex watches Ardeth glance over his shoulder at Rick and Evie. Then he looks back at her. The seriousness of his tone has her on alert immediately when he says, "There is something you need to know, before we go down there and before anything else is said." "Okay. What?"

He takes a breath, still not sure how she'll respond to him keeping this to himself for so long. "You must get the boy to the pyramid by sunrise, before the light of the sun touches the pyramid." Confusion wracks her features before she shakes her head, "I… we need to get him the fuck out of here. Why would we?" "Alexandra, you must get him to the pyramid. Before the light hits it." "Why?!" Ardeth glances back to Rick and Evie again, and then looks into Alex's eyes. Softly, ensuring the others don't hear him, he answers her bluntly, "Because if he does not get there by then, the bracelet will suck the life out of him."

Alex is frozen for a moment, because what the actual hell. Then she ponders screaming at him for not mentioning that a little bloody sooner. But she can't scream. She realizes that as Ardeth glances to Rick and Evie again. He hadn't kept it from 'her', per say. He'd kept it from all of them. Mostly, he'd kept it from Rick and Evie. And as she thinks about it… well, it was smart. He didn't want to make them panic, obviously. He wanted them level-headed. Needed them level-headed, or else their chances of finding Jason would've dropped drastically. And that was the goal. That was Alex's primary goal.

A goal he was trying desperately to help her accomplish.

He'd only kept it from her, because he hadn't found the proper moment, far enough away from Rick and Evelyn. They weren't really far enough away now… but he knew she had to know.

He also knew that of all of them, she was the one who could handle it; knew that she could carry that information, and still fight with grace and save Jason. All without making needless mistakes because she was worried.

So finally, after a moment more, she nods to him and simply says quietly, "Thank you." He nods back, and then reaches up to cup her face in his hands. Getting back to the topic of 'goodbye' she'd brought up before, he shakes his head, "This is not goodbye, Alexandra." She stares up at him, the torch light from nearby shining in his eyes. Then she reaches out and puts a hand on his chest, over his heart.

Clutching at the fabric on his shirt, she asks softly, "You're good with a sword, yes?" He nods, and then even smiles a little when she adds, "And you can handle this until we stop it? You're not going to die on me while battling Anubis' army, right?" He shakes his head firmly, "I would never dream of disappointing you so."

She smiles a little at that, and then takes a breath to steady herself even as a tear falls down her cheek. God, she hates crying. But Ardeth seems rather touched by it. Catching that stray tear with his thumb on her cheek, and then says, "Save the boy. Kill the creature. And when all this is over, I will see you again." Alex nods, and then reaches up to hold the back of his neck in her hand. Gently running her fingers through some of his hair, she smiles a bit when he closes his eyes in peace. Turning his head closer to her hand, kissing the inside of her wrist, "I will find my way back to you, Atheer. You have my word on that." Alex sighs, but then forces him to look at her again. Firmly, almost glaring at him, she says, "Do not die on me. I forbid it. Do you understand?" Smiling gently, he answers, "Yes, Atheer."

Shaking her head with a grin, she asks in fake exasperation, "What are you saying when you call me that?" Ardeth closes his eyes and leans in closer, pressing his forehead gently against hers. Alex closes her eyes too, and then can't help but smile wider when he says, "It means beloved. For that is what you are to me."

She touches her nose to his, and he chuckles when she says, "Sneaky Medjai. It's not nice to say such sweet things in a language I don't understand." Grinning, he says gently, "Forgive me." "One condition." He opens his eyes to look at her, at the longing resting there in her eyes. Nodding, he says honestly, "Anything." And she asks for the only thing she wants in this particular moment, "Kiss me."

His hand slides to cup her neck as his lips meet hers. Alex trembles against him as his lips part and move against hers, and when he tilts his head to deepen the kiss, she almost forgets she's still holding a gun in one hand. Well… until she nearly drops it.

She feels it get lifted from her hand though, someone picking it up from her. She doesn't care who it was. She just reaches up to wrap her now free arm around Ardeth as well, pulling impossibly closer and putting everything she has into the kiss. His hands slide down and grip her hips, squeezing gently before then sliding to her back and firmly tracing up her body from there.

When Alex finally leans back to breathe, Ardeth rests his forehead against hers again. Sighing against her, he says, "This is not goodbye." "I know." When Ardeth leans back and looks at her, trying to make sure she understands that he's not just leaving her again like last time, she smiles and says, "If it were, I'd know. And I wouldn't forgive you."

He grins gently at that, and then sighs and takes a step back. Brushing his fingers across her cheek briefly, he then says, "Come. We should hurry." Alex nods, and then blushes when Jonathon hands her gun back to her. She'd assumed Ardeth had taken it from her and set it aside. Apparently not.

Jonathon doesn't tease her though. He simply smiles and offers her a wink before moving next to Evie to prepare the rest of the guns. Then Rick joins her and Ardeth, and they head down to the lower part of the jungle to rescue Jason.

It had been a long seven days, but Alex had a feeling that this last night was going to feel longer than the entire rest of their journey combined.

* * *

Rick is in the lead, Alex right behind him and Ardeth behind her. They stop briefly when they run into all of the desecrated bodies, heads on spits and some skeletons hanging from cages up in the trees. Alex looks around them and asks, "Any ideas?" Rick lets out a worried breath, "None of them good."

Alex shrugs after a moment, because she hadn't expected any good ones related to this rather torturous looking graveyard. But when she sees Rick seeming to become more and more tense by the second, she reaches forward to grip his shoulder tight. Giving him a firm look, she states, "Jason is fine. And he will remain that way." "You sure?" "Yes."

Ardeth watches as Rick relaxes, smiling at the fact that there was no hesitation in Alex's response to his question. Jason would be fine. And if so much as a hair on his head had been plucked out of place, Alex would kill every living soul that she felt was part of removing it. Turning forward again, Rick lets out a sigh before saying, "Come on. We should keep going." Ardeth nods, "Indeed. We must hurry."

They keep creeping along through the jungle in silence, until they finally hear the roar of gunfire erupting from somewhere beyond them. Pulling out a dagger, twirling it in her hands, Alex says, "And now we know which way to go. Safest bet for finding him is to head towards all the bullets. Let's go!"

When they break past the tree line, they immediately find themselves in the middle of the hectic fray. Guns blazing, Rick starts sweeping towards his right, and Ardeth moves around on the left. Alex, smaller and quicker than both, simply starts darting up the middle. Crouching down in the tall grass, keeping out of sight, she weaves in and out of the men in red, slicing into arms and legs as she goes. All the while, she keeps searching for a small boy amongst them, or a glint of gold designed like a scorpion.

She's about to simply stand up straight and shout his name, when she hears him shouts instead, "Dad!" Rick's response from the other side of the battlefield is, "Jason!" Alex jerks to her left to try and locate where Jason's voice came from. And though he was certainly the smallest person here, she can barely see the top of his head nearing one side of the tree line. And a man in red marching towards him.

Rick is too far away to get there in time. He knows this. But as another man screams in pain, Rick glances over to see Alex removing her dagger from someone's chest. Whistling for her attention, he simply shouts, "Find him!" "What does it look like I'm doing?!"

She vanishes from his sight before he can comment on that. Sliding beneath one man's legs, slicing into both so he goes down as she comes back up, she kicks it into high gear when she hears the desperation in Jason's voice as he screams worriedly, "Alex!" "Jase!"

Two little creatures… Alex doesn't know what you'd call them or whose side they're on. Or if they even have a side. All she knows is they're in her way. So she tosses two daggers, nailing them both between the eyes. And without breaking stride, she keeps sprinting towards her nephew.

She can't see him anymore. But she can see Loch-Na, who looks like he's on a mission. And his eyes are turned further down than anyone else in this place. Best bet… he was going for Jason. So… Alex went after him. Gritting her teeth at the evil grin on this man's face, Alex sprints as fast as she can, ignoring anyone else that might be about to get in her way. One man was coming up on the side of her, about to cut her off. And if that had happened, she would've rolled and kept right on running at this point.

Before she has to worry about it though, he gets shot in the head and immediately goes back down. Alex spares a glance to the ledge where she knows Jonathon and Evie are watching, knowing one of them is responsible for that. Then she takes off again.

Jason is backed into a tree, Loch-Na twirling his knife and preparing to cut off his hand or arm so he can have the bracelet. Or maybe he just plans to cut off Jason's head. Alex isn't sure which. She doesn't care.

"Dad! Alex!" Rick is sprinting as fast as he can, but he knows he still won't get there in time. And he's not a man who cries easy, but he's almost about to in frustration and fear as he shouts, "Jason! No!"

Several things flash before Rick's eyes as Loch-Na's sword begins swinging down. Jason as a baby, then as a child. Then visions of the man he would've been. Rick had already experienced what it was like to watch your own life flash before your eyes. But now he knew, it was infinitely worse to watch your kid's life flash in front of you.

Before he can get too far into that though, before he can fall into dispair… or maybe unimaginable rage… he doesn't hear the sound of metal slicing through flesh. No… no, he hears the sound of metal on metal. A loud clang rings through the air, making Jason look up, and even Loch-Na blink in confusion.

Alex isn't positive how she did it. She just knew that suddenly, more so than ever before, the most direct and choice path was suddenly very clear before her. And once she saw that, getting to Jason in time was easy. Loch-Na's gaze is stunned upon seeing the silver blade blocking his from killing the boy. Sapphire gems in the hilt, he looks up at the owner and glares at Alex who is standing before him.

With a cry of sheer rage, she shoves the sword up and away, and then twirls the blade in her hand. Moving in front of Jason, blocking him, she makes note of his mumbled, "It glows? Why does your compass glow?"

Was he talking about her tattoo? She doesn't have time to focus on that. Loch-Na is twirling his own sword, preparing for battle. Hardening her stance in front of her nephew, she calls out, "Rick!"

Rick is still coming, Evie and Jonathon taking out more of the men in his path. Alex takes a step towards Loch-Na, putting more space between him and Jason. Then she points and says, "Get him out of here, Rick. Head for the pyramid. To the pyramid as fast as you can, understand? Go now!" Rick doesn't ask why he has to go to the pyramid, or why she won't be following right behind him. He just grabs Jason and runs. He knows better than to argue with the few real orders that ever come out of her mouth.

Loch-Na glares at her as Jason and his dad leave their sight. Smirking, he asks, "You think you will beat me?" "No." And at his confused expression, Alex smirks and adds, "I have no intention of beating you. I'm going to kill you. Much simpler."

He cried out in rage and attacked, swinging in a wide arch down at her. She blocks and parries, spins out of his way and then dances into his personal space. She keeps him off balance, and amidst meeting his sword with hers and managing to cut into his chest and clothes, she also throws punches at his face, elbows into his stomach, and she's pretty sure she dislocated one of his knees at one point, though he may have immediately knocked it back in.

She's just sliced into his forearm, deeper this time, making him drop his sword, when another man in red comes at her. Frowning, she says to Loch-Na, "You can't win on your own? You have to cheat to survive? Where is the honor in that?" "I have no honor!"

She bears her teeth at him, and is about to turn to her next opponent, when she hears the sound of metal on metal as well. Ardeth is now beside her, taking on the other man. Loch-Na tries to hurriedly reach for his sword again, but Alex doesn't let him. She kicks him hard in the chin, knocking him up from his crouched position, and then slices across his collar and throat.

The cut is deep, and his eyes widen with the realization that he is going to die, that there is no saving him. He had been beaten. He'd been beaten by a girl.

She glares at him, but relaxes a little when he slumps over and hits the ground like a sack of rocks. Sighing, she then spins around to see Ardeth still fighting the man meant to ambush her. And now another man is trying to ambush him.

Ardeth sees him in the corner of his eye and is about to deflect the man he's with and spin around to fight the other. That's when Alex races forward and attacks the other opponent.

Moving so his back is to hers, he grabs her arm and shouts, "Up and over!" As the man in front of her comes closer, she pushes her feet forward and kicks him hard in the chest. In the process, she jumps up while Ardeth bends down, and she flips over top of his back, her foot now connecting with the man's face that had been in front of him.

Both men go down into the grass, and never come back up. Panting, Alex turns to Ardeth, "You alright?" "Fine." But as he looks at her, sees her arm bleeding, he says, "But you're not." "It's a scratch. I'm fine."

He still rips off a piece of his robe and wraps it around her bicep anyway. As soon as he's done, he looks around at the new dwindling battlefield. Almost everyone was gone now. Those few that remained here, were no longer in the mood to fight. Only to cower and hide. Alex is shaking her head at them, but jumps a little when Ardeth gently grips her chin. His eyes drift over her face briefly, and then he sighs before saying, "Find them and make sure they get Jason to the pyramid." She nods, "I will. Find the commanders and hold off the army until we find a way to stop this."

He nods back to her, but as he prepares to leave, she grips his arm and pulls him back. "What…" He doesn't finish his question. Alex wraps an arm around the back of his neck and pulls him down to her, kissing him hard on the mouth. Before his hands can move to put a grip on her in return, she pulls back and looks him in the eye. "Don't you dare die on me. I will kick your ass."

He can't help but grin, and then he nods again, "I will make you proud, Atheer. So don't you die either." "Oh believe me, I have no intention of dying today."

And with that, they finally separate, and Alex runs off to find Rick and Jason again, while Ardeth heads out of the jungle to find a horse that will carry him as quick as possible to the commanders' last location. With any luck, they will be ready for Anubis' army before it rises.

Better yet, with any luck, somehow Alex will have figured out how to stop this before the army can be awakened.

* * *

"Come on Mom! Come on Dad! We have to get to the pyramid! I have to get the bracelet off now!" Jonathon sighs tiredly, "Oh, leave it on Jason, it looks good on you."

Alex breaks through the tree line and immediately drops to her knees. Jason gasps and runs at her, almost knocking her over from the force of it. She squeezes him tightly in return, and then says desperately, "Never again. Promise me. Never again." "I promise. Whatever it is, I promise."

Alex laughs at that, loving how he would promise her anything right now, so long as it made her happy. Pushing him back from her, she glances to the bracelet still on his arm. Cursing under her breath, she hops back to her feet, "Alright, we'll discuss all the things you're never going to do again later. Right now, let's go. We have to hurry." Jason nods eagerly, happy that his aunt understands how desperate they really are right now. But Jonathon, still clueless, asks, "Whatever for? It's what they want, isn't it? They want the bracelet at the pyramid?" Alex doesn't deny that, but finally explains, "But if we don't get Jase to the pyramid, the bracelet will kill him."

Looking to Rick, whose relieved expression has gone tense again, she says, "He has to get there before the sun hits it. And I already told you to get him there as fast as possible. So grab your kid and move your fucking ass!"

They don't get far before they hit an unavoidable roadblock. The pygmy things… that's what Rick's calling them anyway… chase them to a log bridge across a deep canyon. Hurrying across, Alex grabs a stick of dynamite from Rick's pocket, and then lights a match against the side of his face. He raises an eyebrow at her, but as she tosses the stick back to the creepy little creatures, she asks, "What? You can do it to Ardeth, but I can't do it to you. That's a little hypocritical. Just saying."

Before Rick can comment, Evie says worriedly, "Rick." And as they all look towards the horizon, a terrified feeling sinks into everyone's gut.

The sun. It's rising. They're out of time, and Jason still isn't at the pyramid.

Alex turns to Rick, sees the panic in his eyes. But before they can say or do anything, Evie's eyes widen as the compass on Alex's back begins glowing again. So bright that it can even be seen through the back of her shirt.

The path they need to take becomes clear as ever, as though Alex had run to this pyramid a million times before, rather than just doing it for the first time today. Without trying to explain, she grabs one of Rick's guns. Picking up one of her own as well, she looks up at him, and he swears a tint of the neon blue is trying to creep into the whites of her eyes. But it's still her when she says, "Grab Jason. Stay on my ass. Don't stop running for anything. I'll cover the front. Evie, you and Jonathan watch the rear. Nobody stop moving! Let's go!"

Alex breaks into a sprint right from the start, and while Jonathan stands gaping for a second of two, Rick and Evie don't hesitate. Rick grabs Jason and puts him over his shoulder again, taking off as fast as he can so he can keep up with her. He doesn't even think about looking around him for danger. He just keeps his eyes clued to the glowing compass on Alex's back. And whenever the arrow that had always pointed north before shifted even slightly, so did Alex.

Every time the gun went off, he knew either Alex or his wife had taken out someone after them. And every time he thought about glancing to his right or left to see who else might be there, he just reminded himself of all that had happened so far on this trip. Most of all… he remembered the way Evie had tried to leap off the dirigible, and how Alex had seen it about to happen, and had been fast enough to save her.

Which meant the only way he was going to save Jason, was to keep up with Alex. He's not certain he's a full believer in all this myth and legend stuff that Ardeth had been telling them. But… he'll admit… if Alex somehow gets them to the pyramid on time… he'll most definitely consider it.

They only just barely make it. Just by the skin of their teeth; they make it. When they break through the tree line in front of the pyramid, Alex shouts, "Go Rick! Go!" She does stop leading him after that, opting for watching the tree line for anyone else that might've been following them. But she is still listening, and her entire body slumps in relief when she hears the bracelet unlock from around Jason's wrist. And she even smiles when she hears Jason take the thing and toss it as far away as she can.

Evie and Jonathan break through the tree line, and upon seeing Alex relaxed again. And… well, not glowing anymore, Evie sighs in relief. Running past her to see her boy, she nearly cries in relief as she says, "They made it." Alex nods in response to that, and grins again when Jonathan adds in, "Praise God."

Then she rolls her eyes when she hears Jonathan start marveling at the solid gold pyramid they're standing in front of. A few minutes ago he wanted nothing to do with the damn thing, and now all he could do was stare at it.

And miss the fact that Anck Su Namun was here. Alex hears her footsteps in the sand, and as she turns her head, she can see the sun glint off the steel blade in her hand. The woman was carrying a sword in one hand, and the book of the dead in the other.

And she was heading straight for Evie.

The entire next five seconds all happened in what felt like a blur. Not really to Alex. The moment she'd seen the blade, she'd known what she was going to do. Everything about her nature and character, made it obvious what she was going to do. The gasping that would follow, therefore, wouldn't make any sense to her. Because this was not strange.

Anck Su Namun was going to kill Evie. That was her intent. And had Alex not been there… she might've succeeded. But, Alex was there. And it didn't really matter whether or not she was a chosen of the Gods. Because for practically her entire life, before Wadjet could've known she would be perfect for this role, her objective had been to protect the people who mattered to her most. She would fight for them. She would kill for them. And when all of her skills and talents combined turned out to not be enough… she would die for them.

She hadn't been lying to Ardeth when she'd said she had no intention of dying today. She didn't want to die. Would really prefer not to. But… she was out of moves at this point, and there was no time to formulate a better plan. So as she moves as swiftly as possible, she sends up a silent prayer to the heavens, hoping that somehow he'll be able to forgive her for breaking her promise to not die.

Alex has Evie by the arm before anyone can realize what's happening. Using her efforts to pull Evie away as leverage, she launches herself in front of Evie as well. Effectively blocking the path of the sword. With her own body.

Anck Su Namun had failed. She wouldn't be killing the reincarnation of Nefertiti today. She would simply be killing… well… Alex.

The sword plunges in just below the center of her chest. The pained gasp that leaves her lips alerts everyone else to what has happened. Even Evie, who is standing there to witness the whole thing, doesn't really seem to register what just took place. Not until Alex's gasp of pain, followed by an almost instant struggle for air, snapped Evie back to the present.

Anck Su Namun is stunned beyond belief. And still determined to succeed, she tries to pull the sword back out; to go and kill Evie anyway. But Alex isn't done yet. Gripping what part of the blade hasn't yet sunk into her body yet, she glares at the bitch in front of her, refusing to let it go, or to budge an inch.

Blood spills over the blade where her hands are cut as she holds it, keeping Anck Su Namun from taking it back. Gritting her teeth, practically snarling, she says, "You will have to do better, bitch."

Anck Su Namun stares at her for a moment, and then her eyes to wide as she mutters, "Chosen." Well… Alex decides that must make it official. As though it weren't already. But rather than simply answer yet, Alex smirks and responds, "No shit."

Alex isn't sure why Anck Su Namun suddenly just 'knows' she's a guardian chosen by the Gods. And she honestly doesn't care. She's just glad that it apparently makes Anck Su Namun rethink her actions. She lets the sword go, and then follows Imhotep out of the yard and into the pyramid.

He frowns and says in Egyptian, "Shame. I would've liked to have kept her alive. She would've made a wonderful pet, a mockery to the Gods and their chosen ones." Anck Su Namun nods, "I'm sorry." "It is not your fault she jumped on the sword. It is just a shame."

Meanwhile, back outside, as Alex finally begins slumping towards the ground, Evie screams, "Alex!"

She hears several voices hollering her name. Evie is beside her now, sitting her up and holding Alex's head in her lap. Then Rick is there, falling down at her side, looking over her in horror. And as she tries to speak, maybe to even joke that it wasn't as bad as it looked, she feels blood coming out of her mouth, choking her words before they can make it out.

Yeah, she was definitely dying. Shit.

"She's going to be alright, isn't she dad?!" Jason? Oh, Jason shouldn't have to see this. Spitting out some blood, Alex says, "Take him. Jonathon… take…" Rick hurriedly turns, "Jonathon!" Jase comes closer and asks, "Dad? She's…" "She's gonna be find, Jason. Jonathon, take him."

Jonathon pulls him aside so he's not looking directly over Alex. Rick then turns back to her, and says, "Alright, you can't die. Alright? You just… you can't! You're gonna be okay." Alex smiles up at him, coughing and struggling to breathe. Reaching up with one hand, taking hold of his, she grips his firmly.

Spitting out more blood so she can talk, she says, "Tell… Ardeth… tell him… tell…" But Rick shakes his head, "No, Alex. You can tell him yourself. Just stay with us, alright? Just stay…" Alex turns her gaze up to Evie, who is crying down over her face, tears falling onto Alex's cheeks. Reaching up to gently wipe at Evie's face, leaving a smear of blood in the process, Alex says, "Tell him… I'm sorry. I tried… but I couldn't… tell him… I'm sorry."

And then her world goes dark.

* * *

And that's Chapter 12! Sorry to end it with a cliffhanger, but hopefully the editing and polishing of chapter 13 won't take so long. School work comes first, obviously. But after that, this is next on the list.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: "I do not own any part of the Mummy franchise. Wish I did, because those first two movies were awesome. But I don't. All credit for quotes and scenes taken from the movie, go to the writers, producers, directors, etc. I own only Alexandra Taren, and any original content that I make her do or say. That is all."

* * *

Chapter 13

"You have done well, my child."

Alex looks around her in wonder. It was like she was inside of another vision like the ones she'd shared with Evie. Or… more the in between part, when she'd entered into a space of time between switching from one setting of the vision to another. Everything is cloaked in a smoky layer, like she were floating with the clouds, and they'd all come to surround her. Her body was waiting on whatever else she was supposed to see or do next.

And since she's dead… she distinctly remembers dying, because it hurt like a bitch. But since she was… there shouldn't be anything else for her to do or see. So… she's stuck in the 'in between'.

Huffing in aggravation, she says, "Well shit. Hard as I've worked, you'd think I'd at least get a straight shot into heaven. But no, I'm stuck here. Probably gonna turn into a ghost. Just my luck." She ponders that a moment more, and then decides, "Although, if I'm a ghost, I should still be able to watch over everybody. Maybe I can do like that guy from the Ghost movie did, and get angry enough to beat the crap out of people. That could be great, since they wouldn't be able to fight back. Hmm… could work, I suppose."

She's still pondering the few positives she can find in being turned into a ghost, when a gentle laugh from behind her causes Alex to turn around. And there stands the Goddess Wadjet, patiently waiting for Alex to see her. Tilting her head, Alex decides to say, "You could've coughed or something. I wouldn't have kept you waiting. Or, you know, made you listen to my little tangent of thought for a good minute and a half."

The Goddess simply smiles, "Your 'little thoughts' as you call them, are rather pleasing to me. For even without my assistance, they are always centered around those you protect and love most." Alex tilts her head at that, not really understanding why she should need Wadjet's assistance with focusing her thoughts in that direction. But rather than explain right away, the Goddess holds out her arm and says, "Come, my child. I have things to show you."

Alex finds it a bit strange that she doesn't consider it awkward at all to simply begin walking along with this ancient Goddess of Egypt. And sure, she'd already seen her once before… but even that first time, Alex hadn't really felt like gaping at her or asking who the hell she was. Alex felt… well, she felt more like this person was already a friend, and that following her to wherever she decided to lead, was simply a natural thing to do.

Probably has something to do with being her 'chosen', is what Alex decides. Or maybe because she's just that weird. Yeah… could be that too.

They walk through the smoke and clouds for a bit, until Alex finally asks, "What is this? Where are we?" Wadjet smiles, "This is where you wait, until it is time." "Time for what?" Putting a hand on her shoulder, Wadjet turns gentle and compassionate eyes to her. Eyes that seem to think she has already asked enough, but is about to ask more anyway. But her words simply say, "That is entirely up to you."

Alex doesn't understand the look. As far as she was concerned, Wadjet had never actually asked her to do anything. Her desires to protect Evie and her family were entirely her own. Even Wadjet had admitted that she was perfect for the role, because her intentions already rested over the protection of Nefertiti's reincarnation. It's why Wadjet had chosen her. She didn't become that way because the Goddess made her. She would've done it anyway. So no… Wadjet shouldn't be looking at her like she'd already asked too much. Too Alex's knowledge, she hadn't asked her to do anything that she wouldn't have done on her own, even without permission.

Before she can bring that up though, Wadjet waves a hand over a section of the smoke before them. It swirls and shifts until it becomes a sort of screen for Alex to look into. Not like she was a part of the vision itself anymore, but like she could see everything on a TV screen this time.

The first thing she sees, is Ardeth. Alex gasps at the sight of him, and at the size of his army. They were quite massive, for a people of the desert that many didn't even know existed. But…

Alex turns to Wadjet, and the Goddess answers her silent question with a shake of her head. "They are but a fraction of the size of Anubis' army. I'm afraid their chances of success without the defeating of the Scorpion King, are slim at best."

Alex would find it humorous that an ancient Goddess was saying things such as 'slim at best'. Somehow, that didn't seem to be a thing a Goddess should say. But, they'd been here long before Alex had, and would be here long after. They probably adapted their language to fit the times, as it was needed.

With that thought out of the way, Alex turns back to the screen. It hones in on Ardeth, as though sensing her desire to see him more closely. Her shoulders slump slightly at the thought of leaving him. Sighing, she asks Wadjet, how is standing beside her, "Will he be alright?" "In the battle you mean?" Alex shakes her head, "No. He'll live, I'm quite sure. He promised me he would. I mean… will he be alright when he finds out… well, that I'm dead."

Wadjet squeezes her shoulder gently, "You care for him deeply. In the future, do not hide that so. You have a wide heart my child. And while you may not ever be ready to let it encompass the whole world, you should allow him to see just how fully it encompasses him." Alex nods after a moment, but then blinks in confusion. Shaking her head, she turns to Wadjet, "But… I'm dead. How am I supposed to…" The Goddess gently cuts her off, "Come child. You have things to see."

Alex doesn't argue as Wadjet leads her away from the screen with Ardeth still on it… loath as she is to let him out of her sight. But she does ask her question again, "But will he be alright?" The Goddess gives her a gentle smile, understanding Alex's need to know the answer to this question. She still didn't understand that, possibly, she didn't have to die.

Regardless, Wadjet shakes her head sadly and informs her, "You do not realize just how precious you are child. To him, or to anyone that you have allowed into your narrow realm of protection. No, he will not be alright. If you remain dead to him, I foresee dark days in his future. He will be inconsolable, and he will work as a Medjai with a broken heart, miserable in all his tasks, until the end of his days. That is what lays before him, with you dead."

Alex sighs and runs her hands over her head. That was unacceptable. I mean… kind of touching. But still unacceptable. Ardeth couldn't just wallow in self-pity or sadness with her gone. His people still needed him, and he was still the greatest Medjai she'd ever known. Granted, she didn't know very many others that well. And she was in love with him, so her opinion was slightly biased. But still, he was the greatest in her opinion. And he needed to remain that way.

Shaking her head, she decides to ask if Wadjet could maybe do her a small favor for her services. Certainly, she hadn't done any of it for the Goddess, not really… but perhaps she could still ask a favor for having performed them anyway. Nodding to herself, she prepares to ask, "Can you…"

Before she can get more than that out though, Wadjet waves a gentle, but still silencing hand in front of her. Shaking her head, she says, "I know what it is you would ask of me, child. But I am not through showing you all you need to see. So for now, no more questions. You are here, in this in between place, to watch. Come."

Alex bites on the inside of her cheek to remain silent as Wadjet leads her to another area within the clouds. Waving her hand over another area of smoke, it becomes a new screen for her to look at. This one, residing over the pyramid she'd been at moments ago, where the rest of her family still remains.

Rick has pulled the sword from her chest and tossed it away from her. And even though she'd already been dead, his hands were now covered in blood from where he'd tried to stop the bleeding. Evie was still holding her head in her lap, sobbing inconsolably, her hands running through Alex's hair as though that would somehow wake her up eventually.

Jason was in Jonathon's arms, crying into his uncle's shoulder, eyes rimmed red with his tears. He couldn't understand how Alex had survived so much to save him, and then died so suddenly after they'd finally finished that part of their mission. And Jonathon, for his part, couldn't say anything yet. There were tears in his eyes, and he was sitting on the ground holding Jason, his lips sealed tightly shut. He had no words for this, for the ache in his heart at Alex being gone; taken from them so wrongly. It was honestly unfathomable to him. Alex was their warrior, the one who always knew the way out, or the way back home. She wasn't supposed to just… well, die. She just wasn't supposed to.

Alex's own tear falls, creating a ripple through the screen she's watching them through. Wiping at her face, she takes a breath and asks, "Will they survive this?" "The war to come? Perhaps. But again, that is up to you." Alex still doesn't understand what she's supposed to do about this. But before she can ask, Wadjet puts a gentle hand on her shoulder again. "Alexandra, you are almost as precious to them as you are to your dear Ardeth. If he will not survive losing you, how do you imagine they will fair? You have always been there for them. Even Rick, who has known you the least amount of time in his life, had come to believe you would somehow always be there for them."

Squeezing Alex's shoulder, Wadjet waves her hand to the right of the screen with her family, creating another screen in which Alex can see Imhotep and Anck Su Namun. Gesturing to it, Wadjet says, "My time is becoming short, and I still have things to tell you. Look here, my child. Look at what your loyalty and devotion has won you on this day."

Alex isn't exactly thrilled to be looking at Imhotep rather than her own family. But she watches at he and his girlfriend enter into one of the chambers of the Scorpion king. And as soon as Imhotep steps on the emblem of the scorpion on the ground, black clouds shoot out and swirl around him. And when it's finally over, Alex smirks when he tries to lift the objects across the room, but he can't.

Turning to Wadjet, Alex wagers a guess, "Powerless?" Wadjet nods and says, "He is mortal. And though he appears strong when he does have his powers, without them, he is just a man. And he is a much more fearful person than you or your family." Giving Alex a stern look, she adds, "But he is also cunning. This, you will need to watch out for."

Alex nods in understanding, but then shakes her head again. Throwing up her hands, she says, "Alright, I know you said you have more stuff to explain to me, but I'm really, really confused about the way you keep talking. You keep acting like I'm still down there and can tell them all of this for myself. Not that they need me to, they already know all of that. But… I'm dead. Aren't I?" "For the time."

Alex blinks, "For the… what?" "Patience, child. Patience and listening, I need from you now." Putting her hands on both Alex's shoulders, she says, "You have been, and shall remain, the very best chosen I've ever had in the years of Nefertiti's protection. In the past, I had to force that amount of devotion into other beings. A little could sometimes always be found, but never in the amount required of any chosen I would need. So, as a gift and as a necessity, I instilled in them the devotion needed to protect Nefertiti's reincarnation."

Smiling at Alex, she continues, "But you… I have never had to give you anything. And I am sorry for what happened in your past that helped to make you this way. It was a terrible thing, and should've happened to no one. But you did not let it cripple you. You do not trust the rest of the world, and for that no one could ever blame you. But you did not let yourself wither away because of what happened. No, you turned yourself into a weapon against ever letting it happen again. And when new people came into your life, when Nefertiti became your adoptive sister… you took it upon yourself to ensure that nothing like that could ever happen to her, or anyone you ever cared about again."

"Your devotion and protective instincts have been perfect since I first saw you, since I first chose you to be her protector. So I had no need to grant you any of what I had always given to so many others. You have gone above and beyond of what I ever asked any of them to ever do. And because I could see that you always would, I granted you a different kind of gift."

She touches the tattoo on Alex's back, and Alex can feel that sense of knowing which way to go pour into her. How she could always find the way out, or back home. How she could always find her way back to the people who mattered most to her. She'd always known it wasn't entirely natural. She'd thought maybe her past experience and trauma had somehow granted her a six-sense about certain things. But no… it was Wadjet that gave her that.

Nodding her head in thanks to Wadjet, she debates for a moment whether to ask anything again, or if she was still supposed to wait. Wadjet simply nods back to the screen with her family now, so she turns to watch what's happening.

She sees Rick entering the temple, Evie telling him that Alex would've finished the mission if she was still here. They had to see that Anubis' army didn't rise to conquer the world. Then Wadjet opened another screen again, allowing Alex to see Ardeth once more. And when the army of Anubis arises anyway, Alex gasps at the sight of it. Ardeth and his men couldn't even see the whole of it yet. But Wadjet hadn't been lying. The Medjai didn't even really make up a fraction of the army Anubis and the Scorpion King had at his disposal.

Ardeth was still an excellent swordsman. And as the first wave of the army came at the Medjai, she knew he'd at least survive that. Rick just needed to kill the Scorpion King before Ardeth and his men had to deal with the rest of the army.

Then Wadjet shows her Jason, Jonathon, and Evie again. Evie is still holding Alex's head in her lap, but Jason and Jonathon are beside her now. And Jonathon has finally found his voice, and is trying to tell Jason that it's alright, because Alex will be in a better place. "She more than deserves it, what with protecting all of us all her life and putting up with me. You know I'm a chore to deal with."

Evie and Jason laugh weakly at his joke, and then Jonathon adds, "But like it says in the good book…"

"The book." Both adults look to Jason when he interrupts, and Alex jumps in surprise from the sudden happy tone of his voice. Though she wasn't with them, she almost felt as though Jason somehow knew she was surprised, because he bent to look at her closely for a moment. But before Alex can say anything to Wadjet about it, the kid then he jumps to his feet and shouts, "Come on you guys! That's it! The Book! Come on!" Evie stares up at him and asks, "What?" "The book! The book of the dead! She has it! We can use it! Come on!"

And though Jonathon is still confused at first, he doesn't argue when Evie hurriedly tells him to carry Alex's body as they hurry into the pyramid after Rick. And as Evie explains the plan to Jonathon, he glances down at Alex's lifeless face, and then back to them. Confused, but hope beginning to appear in his features, he asks, "That'll work?" Evie nods eagerly, "It's worked for Anck Su Namun and Imhotep. Why can't it work for Alex?"

Jonathon nods at that, and with a trembling note of hope in his voice, he replies, "This just might work." Jason, much more enthusiastic, grins and says, "Of course it will. We just have to get there. Come on!"

While Alex watches as they hurry to Anck Su Namun, and then begin working to distract her so Jason can read the spell to bring her back, Wadjet says, "There is more they need from you, my child." Standing up straight, Alex tilts her head, "What do they need from me? I died for them. I… what else do I give them?"

Wadjet smiles at her, because Alex isn't saying it like it's asking too much. Any other person might, but not Alex. No, Alex was asking it desperately, like if Wadjet would just tell her what she needed to do, she'd do it. Alex just needed to know what it was.

Back to the screen, Alex watches as Evie lays her body out on one of the stone slabs in the room. Running her fingers through Alex's hair, she says, "Please let this work. Please come back to us, Alex. We need you. We're not ready to lose you. Not yet." And Evie laughs a little, "You haven't even taught Jason how to properly throw a knife yet. So you see, you can't leave yet."

The vision vanishes just as Evie rises and hurries to help Jonathon hold off Anck Su Namun. Standing up straight again, Alex turns to Wadjet and asks, "Can that work?" Wadjet tilts her head, "You have seen it work. You doubt it now?" "No. I mean… I know it's worked in the past. I just… I mean,I was kind of under the impression by now that only bad people got to come back."

Wadjet laughs at that, unable to hide her amusement. Then she says, "I'm afraid that has just been an unfortunate coincidence up to this point." Alex nods, and then asks, "But… you said it was up to me?" "Yes. The book and spell will allow you to come back. You have to be willing to go."

Alex nods, and then Wadjet puts both hands on her shoulders again, "I told you your reward for your service to me would be great. And you have gone far above and beyond what any could've expected of you. And I know it is terrible, that after everything you've already done, I ask more of you. But I do ask more of you. I must."

Alex stares at her for a moment. Then she bows her head and says, "First of all… thank you. For your praise, your consideration, and the gifts you've granted me. And ask I'm sure you already know, I would do everything, all of it, all over again if I had to. Without any hesitation." Wadjet smiles gently, "I know, child." Alex nods, but then raises an eyebrow, "Second of all… I don't get why you feel guilty about sending me back to them. I know I'm your chosen, but you admitted it yourself. You never made me take care of any of them. I did all of that on my own. You didn't ask me to protect her. I wanted that. And the fact that you have brought me here to wait, so that I can get back to them more easily… that doesn't feel like you asking me to do more than you think you should. That feels like you granting me the chance to continue doing what I have always wanted to do. Which is, and will always be, to protect the people that are mine."

Wadjet smiles widely, and simply says, "I chose so wisely with you. And I know you do not feel I ask too much of you. That is how you operate and think. But I have asked many things of you, even if you didn't know it. I have asked more of you than I have any of my previous chosen. And for your loyalty and devotion to me, in that respect, I grant you this."

Alex watches as she waves her hand and suddenly produces a vial of sorts out of thin air. Tilting her head at the glowing blue liquid inside, Alex asks, "What is that?" "It is something for you to use when the time is right. For if you die again, my dear, you won't be able to come back again. The book will be lost at that point in time."

Blinking in confusion, Alex asks, "How do you know the book will be gone? And… wait, why do I even care about that? More important question. I'm going to die again?!" Wadjet hands her the vial, and after ensuring that Alex sticks it securely in her pocket, she says, "You will know when to use it, my child. Now go. Be brave. Be the warrior that you are. And stop this plague upon the earth from breaking free." Alex stares at her a moment more, and then just grins. Bowing her head to the woman that has entrusted her with so much, Alex simply replies, "Yes ma'am."

* * *

Two more of the red guards have finally made their way into the room. Evie is preoccupied with Anck Su Namun, the two of them going at it and fighting a truly nail-biting battle at this point. So Jonathon jumps and tries to run interferance as one of the guards begins approaching where he and Jason had been with Alex.

Jason has just finished the spell when he looks up and gasps at the guard who has still managed to reach him, looking down at him with glaring eyes. The man grabs Jason by his shirt front and lifts him off the floor. Smirking, he says, "Looks like Loch-Na failed to kill you. Well, let's see if I can't do a better job."

He pulls his sword out and Jason screams, "Mom!" Evie glances his way, terror filling her eyes as she screams, "Jason! No!"

But before anyone else can move to try and save him, Jason finds himself dropped back onto his feet. And as he scrambles away, he pauses in confusion about why he was let go, and turns around to see what had distracted the guard in the first place.

And there's Alex. Standing and jerking her dagger out of the man's chest, she smirks into his wide and terrified eyes before slicing it across his throat. And as he falls down, she spins around throws another dagger at the man now chasing after Jonathon. Nailing him in the throat, she watches him go down, and then pulls out another dagger and throws it at Anck Su Namun, knocking the daggers from her hands and to the ground.

Evie jerks around and screams with joy, "Alex!"

Alex is already in front of Jason, grabbing him in the tightest hug she thinks she's ever given him. Leaning back, she kisses his forehead, then his cheek, and then says, "You are the smartest person I have ever had the privilege to meet. Don't you ever forget that." Jason wraps his arms around her neck and hugs her back, and then she turns to Evie and Jonathon, who are running up to her. Jonathon looks gob smacked and Evie is almost crying again in her relief as they get to her. Grabbing them both, Alex sighs in relief of her own, and then says to Jonathon, "And you are not a chore."

He blinks in shock, and then lets out a burst of laughter. They'd have to get into how she knew he'd said that later. Right now, Alex turns to look at Anck Su Namun. Narrowing her eyes, she turns to Evie and asks, "What do you want to do?" Evie glances at her too, and then says confidently, "I can handle her. Please help Rick." Alex nods, handing over one of her own daggers that she'd been teaching Evie how to use. Kissing her cousin on the forehead, she says, "Give her hell. Alright guys, let's go."

Jason grabs her hand in his, and then as they race down the tunnels, he says to Jonathon, "We did it Uncle John. We did it!" "Right partner. And now that we've got Alex back, let's go save your dad, and then the rest of the world." "Cool!"

Alex rolls her eyes at her nephew's statement, "Not cool. Very dangerous. Very bad to be here. None of that is cool."

As they race into the room of the Scorpion King, Jonathon shouts, "Rick!" "Jonathon!" And as soon as Rick rounds the corner and sees Alex right behind him, Rick screams in wondrous joy and surprise, "Alex!" She grins at him, and then looks to the golden rod in Jonathon's hands as Rick says, "The golden stick thing! It's a spear!"

Jonathon looks at it in confusion, "Really? It doesn't look like a spear!" "It opens up into one!" "Yes. And?" "Jonathon! It opens up into a spear! It…"

And that's when they all look up to see the freakiest think Alex has ever seen yet. A half man, half scorpion, walking around on the walls and ceiling. And clearly after Rick.

Alex nods, "Right. Because the universe loves proving me wrong when I decide to think there's literally nothing else to see that can top what I've already seen." Glancing at her nephew and cousin, she says, "Alright, enough. You two, stop screaming." Both boys look at her, and she gestures to the stick in John's hand, "And figure out how to open that damn thing." Jason asks, "What about you?" "I'm going to keep your dad alive long enough to for him to kill the Scorpion King. Apparently, it's his destiny."

And with that, she takes off towards Rick and shouts, "Plan?!" "Don't fucking die!" "Good plan! Look out!"

The Scorpion King slams his large claw into Rick, sending him flying across the room just as Evie and Anck Su Namun come running in. The monster then turns his attention to Alex, who grabs a spear and spins it around before saying, "Alright then. Bring it, ugly."

She knocks his claw away, slowly working her way back to where Rick is. Hopefully soon, Jonathon will get the spear open. And then this can all be over.

It's as Jonathon has finally opened the spear, and has thrown it and Imhotep has intercepted it, that Alex's spear snaps in half. And though that doesn't deter her and she keeps fighting, the Scorpion king ducks his head low enough for his tail to suddenly fly forward.

She blocks it once. Then she blocks it twice. And as he yells at her in Egyptian, she suddenly knows why he's trying so hard to kill her now more than anyone else. Because when he yells at her, he says, "Chosen of Wadjet, protector of my enemies! You must die!"

She'd have to remember to tell Wadjet at some point that she needed to make it harder for people to realize who she'd chosen. The bad guys always seemed to be the first ones to figure it out. Great. Just freaking great.

Imhotep throws the spear at the Scorpion King, and Alex makes a move to block the spear from hitting him. Because as great as it would be for the Scorpion King to die, it has to be Rick to do it. Otherwise Imhotep rules the army, and everyone is doomed anyway.

Rick manages to stop the spear first, to her relief. But as a consequence of Alex trying to block it too, the scorpion tail finally hit's it's mark. Stabbing into her stomach, the force of it actually sends her flying across the room to where Evie and the others are.

Sitting up with Jonathon and Evie's help, she doesn't pay any mind to the pain that is beginning to erupt inside her stomach. She simply screams, "Kill him Rick!"

And just as Rick is about to fall into the pit of despair. At least, that's what Alex has decided to call it, what with all the dead people clambering to try and get out and all. Anyway, before he can actually fall in, he stabs the spear up into the Scorpion King. Both he and Imhotep look shocked and surprised that it worked, but Alex grins victoriously and shouts, "Yes!"

Rick twists the spear in the Scorpion King's chest, "Go to hell! And take your friends with you!"

* * *

On the battlefield in the desert, their numbers cut down by over half, Ardeth and the rest of his men are preparing to face the rest of the horde that is running towards them. And just as they reach them, just when it seems they'll all be slaughtered in a matter of seconds; the army turns back into ash and sand, and disappears into the ground beneath their feet.

Ardeth looks around with his men for a moment, shocked at the sudden disappearance.

And then he smiles widely and says to himself, "She did it."

And then he raises his hands to the sky and shouts for his joy, the rest of his army shouting with him.

But as soon as they're done, a black cloud of smoke and sand shoots into the sky from where Ahm Shere is. Ardeth makes his way through his people to be closer to it, watching the pained face in the sky cry out in defeat. And then it sinks back into the ground, and there is a massive shockwave that goes out through the whole desert as a result.

Ardeth jerks back around and says, "Horse! I need a horse!" One of the remaining horses is brought to him immediately. He jumps into the saddle with haste and then quickly orders, "Return home. Tell the others of what has happened. Prepare at least three tents for visitors. And tell the healers to be ready should I return with my friends. I feel they will need more attention than any of us."

And as he kicks the horse into gear and takes off across the desert, he prays with all his might that Alex isn't one of the ones who needs such critical attention.

Though as he thinks about it, he knows it's a stupid thing to hope for. If any of the others were in danger, she would take them out of it and put herself in their place. So of all of them, if someone needed attention, it would be her.

So instead, he just prays that whatever's wrong with her, it is something his people can fix with ease. He won't be able to handle it if she comes so close to death again, like she did the first time they killed Imhotep.

Oh, he was going to be in for a rude awakening when he finally found them.

* * *

It takes everything in Alex's willpower to not run and sprint after Evie as she dodges all of the falling debris on her way to save Rick from the pit of despair. But Evie had ordered her to stay with Jason and keep him out of harm's way. So that's what she was doing, against what she considered to be her better judgment. She had her arms around Jason to keep him still as they watched Evie finally reach Rick and drag him up from the pit below.

Then Imhotep reaches out and begs for Anck Su Namun's help, and that bitch turns around and tucks tail and runs away.

And despite all his other flaws, like being a bastard and trying to wipe out the world, Alex feels a bit of sorrow for him when she sees the despair, hopelessness and broken heartedness enter Imhotep's eyes. He'd thought their love was stronger than this. He'd thought their love was eternal.

He didn't have anything close to what Rick and Evie have. And as he glances at them one last time, he then pushes back and allows himself to fall into the pit, apparently no longer caring if he lived or died.

Love. It was a powerful thing.

As soon as Rick and Evie get back, Alex grabs Jason's hand and says, "Let's go!"

But all of the exit doors are being flooded. Trees and bushes and pygmies are flying in at speeds only fighter jets should be allowed to travel at. And as Alex jerks Jonathon out of reach of one of the flying pygmies, Rick points to one path leading to a staircase and shouts, "Let move up!" Alex nods in agreement, and hurries everyone else in front of her to get the hell out of here.

When they reach the outside of the pyramid is when Alex finally begins to feel it. Well, not that she hadn't felt it before. The hit she took from the Scorpion King had been hard, and she'd assumed the initial pain she'd felt had been from the hit alone. But now, as she feels an achy sort of pain begin flooding her body, she realizes that the Scorpion King's venom is what she had to worry about. It was potent, and it was going to kill her.

But she could last. Long enough to save them. Long enough to somehow figure a way out of this. Then she would use what Wadjet had given her. Because that has to be what the glowing blue liquid was for.

With that in mind, she focuses on wondering how in the hell they're going to survive this pyramid caving in. Because surviving the venom sting wouldn't count for shit if they were still stuck on the pyramid when she did that. Rick and her look at the quickly disappearing oasis around them, and then Rick says, "Alright, this whole damn place is gonna get sucked up! Move up! Go!" Alex grabs Jason and shoves him up a step, looking back to make sure Rick has Evie and Jonathon before continuing to guide Jason up the stone steps.

She reaches back for Evie and Jonathon constantly, and then also looks down to make sure Rick is keeping up. When they finally reach the top, nowhere else to go, Jason wraps his arms around Alex's waist and says, "We're gonna die." "We are not." He looks up at her, but she simply shrugs. Getting into a conversation right now about her whole conversation with Wadjet wasn't going to help right now. But she didn't think Wadjet would give her a way to survive the venom bite, if she'd seen that Alex and her family were just going to die anyway on this pyramid. So with another shrug, Alex simply says, "Have faith, Jase. Have a little faith."

And that's when Izzy's voice shouts, "HEY!" Jerking around, Alex doesn't think she's ever been so glad to have a machine that can fly coming to pick her up. And she hates flying. Grinning, she damn near laughs when Rick shouts, "Izzy!" The pilot just shouts frantically, "Come on! Get your butts moving! Hurry up! Hurry up! I haven't got all day!"

Alex pulls Jason around and says, "Jase first! Go!" He hops on and then Rick pushes Evie up while saying, "You're next."

Then Alex shoves Rick, "Go!" He hops on behind his wife, and then Alex grabs Jonathon and says, "Grab the net! Hold tight!" He does, same as her, and they're climbing up when Jonathon slips and falls backwards.

Alex grabs his free ankle, his other getting caught in the netting.

Her limbs are growing weaker, and it's even painful to keep her grip. But she doesn't let go. And then Rick is leaning over the side, grabbing Jonathon and shouting, "It's not worth your life, you idiot!" "Yes it is!"

Alex grits her teeth, angrier than she's ever been about Jonathon's hunger for shiny things. Putting a tighter grip on his ankle, certain she's hurting him at this point, she shouts, "Jonathon!" "I've got it! Pull me up! Pull me up!" And with Rick and Evie's help, they manage to pull her and Jonathon aboard… along with his big ass diamond as well.

Falling down and slumping against the side of the deck, she winces when Izzy shouts in joy, "Woohoo!" Her hearing is too sensitive now. And then Izzy shouts, "O'Connell, you almost got me killed!" Rick shrugs tiredly, "At least you didn't get shot." Alex laughs at that, and Rick grins at her. But she also clutches at her stomach, the act of laughing causing as much pain for her as it did joy at the moment.

She tries to reach into her pocket while Evie is kissing Izzy's cheek, thanking him for saving their lives. And Izzy, pleasantly appeased and not angry about nearly dying anymore, asks, "O'Connell, who the hell you been messin' with this time?" Rick staggers to his feet, "Oh, you know, the usual. Mummies, pygmies… big bugs."

Alex moves herself, or drags herself more like, to the back of the dirigible while Evie and Rick and Jason finally gather each other up in a group hug. It was long overdue.

She was still trying to fumble her hand into her pocket, her fingers going numb, when hands gripped her shoulders. She's spun around to face Rick, who is beaming at her as he says, "And you're alive!" She nods, raising an eyebrow before asking, "Figure that out all by yourself, did you?" Rick doesn't even roll his eyes at her sarcastic comment. He simply wraps her up in a tight hug. Which hurts. A lot. And as he tightens his grip, she can't help it. She cringes and cries out, "Ow!"

He lets go, frowning, but then catches her as she drops to the floor.

At the same time, a grappling hook latches onto the side of the balloon, and Jonathon screams in terror. But as Izzy looks over the side, he says, "Hey! It's your desert friend from before!"

Evie has scrambled to Rick's side with Alex, asking desperately, "What's wrong? What happened?!" Alex fumbles with the bottom of her shirt, and as Rick pulls it up, he jerks back in shock and says, "Whoa! What the hell?" The wound has veins of black and blue spreading out from the point of impact. It was coating all of her stomach, stretching to her waist and up to her chest.

Before Alex can try to explain anything though, the voice of the person climbing up to their ship says, "It is the Scorpion King's venom."

Alex closes her eyes and feels an utter sense of relief at Ardeth's voice. She even smiles, though her vision is blurred as he comes into view. But as it clears a little, she can see the worry and fear in his eyes.

Finding her voice, though weak, she says, "Pocket. My… my pocket." Rick and Ardeth both look in her pockets, and then Ardeth finds the vial in her left one. The substance inside glows an ethereal blue, and he stares at it for a moment before uncorking it and putting it to her lips.

It takes some coaxing at this point, her lips and throat not wanting to cooperate any more, her whole body beginning to go limp. Jason grips the sides of his head in his hands and cries desperately, "She can't die again!"

Evie massages Alex's neck while Ardeth pours the liquid down her throat. And then, once it's empty, he turns to Jason and asks, "What do you mean… again?"

Alex's whole body, which had been paling at this point, suddenly becomes flush with color again, and she gasps and jerks upright. Gasping in huge gulps of air, she then slumps back down and just lays there. Wincing as the pain slowly leaves her body, and as the poison leaves and the wound seals over with magically fast timing, she finally huffs, "Fuck."

Evie turns to Jason and says, "Never say that." "Okay mom."

Rick finally chuckles again, and then turns to watch as Ardeth brushes the hair from Alex's face.

She's exhausted, and her eyes feel heavy. But she still smiles up at him and says, "Hey." "Hello Atheer." She closes her eyes in peace, but then says, "Don't hate me." "I could not if I tried. But what happened?" She tries to open her eyes and sit up and explain, but it takes too much effort.

Suddenly, her eyes open to glow blue, and the symbol of the Eye of Horus glows on her forehead again. The voice that comes out is not her own, but Ardeth nods to it when she says, "It is a side effect of the antidote, that she is this tired. She needs rest. All of them do. Take them and tend to their wounds. Let her rest and let the others explain what happened."

A hand reaches up to gently touch Ardeth's face, and she says, "She has fulfilled her duty. She has gone above and beyond. And not I, nor shall anyone else, ever forget the service she has done us. Take care of her, Ardeth Baye. This is the task I now give to you. And you are the reward that I know she will want most out of all this. She has earned it."

After Ardeth nods again, without any hesitation on his part, the glow stops, and Alex slumps down into a state of sleep. Ardeth picks her up and moves to sit on one of the benches that Jonathon clears off for him.

Holding her in his arms, cradling Alex to his body, he then looks up at the others and says, "Alright. Someone tell me. What happened? Why did Jason mention not wanting her to die? Again."

* * *

Chapter 13! Yay! There will be one more chapter after this. Hope you're still enjoying it! :)


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: "I do not own any part of the Mummy franchise. Wish I did, because those first two movies were awesome. But I don't. All credit for quotes and scenes taken from the movie, go to the writers, producers, directors, etc. I own only Alexandra Taren, and any original content that I make her do or say. That is all."

* * *

Chapter 14

When Alex wakes up, she's in a tent.

First thing that tells her is that they are most certainly not back home in London yet. Second thing that tells her is that, either something happened to the balloon… again! Or, Ardeth had taken them to what must be his home.

Alex really hopes it's the second one. She's already died once, and then nearly died again on this damn trip. She wasn't going to be pleased at all, if the damn balloon was the reason they weren't already on their way out of the desert. But if it was Ardeth? Well, that was a much nicer reason.

Sitting up off of the comfortable bed she'd been resting on, the sheet falls off of her to reveal her shirt is missing. She had chest bindings wrapped around her though. More to give her some decency than anything else she suspects. Yeah, she'd been stabbed just below her chest, but that problem had already been effectively fixed thanks to Jason and the Book of the Dead. Considering that, she wonders briefly why her stomach isn't bandaged, since that's where the Scorpion King had hit her with his venom to try and take her out the second time.

Her answer rests in the smell of herbs, oils and spices hanging all in the air. Yes, the wound had sealed, and the venom had been shoved out of her system thanks to Wadjet's gift. But that didn't change the fact that a freaking half scorpion, half man, had shoved his tail into her body with the force of a jack-hammer. All things considered, she supposes the giant bruise on her skin should be counted as a blessing, since she could've had broken ribs on top of it.

The soaked bandages in a bowl next to her bed had been repeatedly placed over the bruise, so now all that remained was the point of impact that had injected the venom into her system. There were a few lines from where the poison had started to spread still showing on her skin, but other than that there was nothing left. The healers in this town had done excellent work on her. Again.

But while that injury had been visually minimized and eased as much as it could be at this point… all her other scars and wounds were still very much present. And as Alex unwraps her chest, she can see the jagged line right beneath her heart, where the sword had been plunged into her body, killing her for all of fifteen minutes.

Alex touches it gingerly for a moment, knowing that no amount of magical Medjai healing was going to make that disappear. Not that it needed to be gone. There was no shame to be had in any of her scars. With that in mind, Alex stands up from the bed finally, and looks around her at the rest of the tent she's currently resting in.

These weren't like the tiny little setups they'd had back when she and Evie and the others had first come to Hamunaptra to explore. Those had been tiny, temporary, and would barely count as being the size of a small bedroom. This tent… it was huge. And there were clear sections designated as separate rooms within. She was in what was apparently the bedroom side of the tent, a curtain shoved to the side that was clearly usually around the area for added privacy when needed. Straight across from her was a dining area, a tiny table with a couple of chairs. The very back was where it looked like all the clothes and weapons and shoes were stored. The very middle had comfortable seating in a circle where people were sure to come and talk and drink.

The front of the tent was occupied by kitchenware, and a pristine bucket with a dipper in it. That must be drinking water. Suddenly parched, Alex hurries over to that, gulping down a few full scoops. Then, before she walks outside, she remembers she's not wearing a shirt yet. Shaking her head at herself, she glances around until she sees a black tank top sitting on the end. And as she slid that on, she also realized that she wasn't in the pants she'd been wearing before passing out. She was in a new pair, the material more loose and flowing at the bottom, but well fitted at her waist and thighs.

She slips into her boots, also placed near the end of the bed. Then she finds her sword and belt by the entrance of the tent, and slips those back on. She pulls her hair into a ponytail, some strands still hanging to frame her face. She doesn't care about trying to pull them all back right now. She has people she needs to see to make sure they're still alright. With that in mind, she peeks her head outside to see what's going on in this place.

And what she sees is the entire… would it be called a city? Whatever, the place she's in is a town made up of elaborate tents and shacks. Some of the houses looked more like tree forts, so they could have more than one floor. Some of the shops looked like market vendors that could also be seen in Cairo, and others looked like the tree forts, but were obviously used as stores instead of houses.

Most of the men were dressed in black, but not the usual black. They didn't look ready for battle. They looked relaxed. And the women were dressed in a variety of colors, though some of them were wearing black just like her as well.

Stepping outside, Alex glances back at the tent she'd been in, committing it to memory should she need to get back to it in a hurry. This might be Ardeth's home, but she still didn't know what was going on, or why they were here right now. It could be simply because they needed rest and attention. Or… maybe some more shit went down while she was out, and everyone was in danger again.

Alex reminds herself that, with the Scorpion King dead, everything was most likely one-hundred-percent fine again. But, she hadn't kept everybody that mattered to her alive this long by ignoring the more paranoid side of her brain. So rather than simply strut down the street like she was a welcome guest here, she slips into the shadows behind some more of the tents, and begins making her way further into the what she thinks is the heart of this place. All the while, keeping her eyes peeled for Ardeth, Rick, and the rest of her family.

Well… okay, she'll admit. Mostly Ardeth at this point. She wanted to make sure nothing else was wrong with him, since he was the one who'd been taking on Anubis' army while they were in the pyramid. But she was totally looking for the rest of them too!

When she finally finds them; they're sitting around a large campfire. People are cooking all around it, but Alex spots Ardeth and the rest of her family sitting to the left side of the fire. People are constantly coming up to them, nodding or making a gesture of gratefulness.

Alex figures she couldn't have been out for too long if people are still thanking them for helping to save the world. Also, if they're being thanked for helping to save the world, then that meant nothing else was endangering it at this current point in time. Sighing in relief, she comes more out into the open, trying to make her way to Evie and Jason so she can hug them both.

That's when a young woman of the Medjai finally looks her way. Now that she wasn't in the shadows and could be seen more clearly, the woman's eyes widen at the sight of her. Gasping as a smile begins spreading across her face, she cries out, "The spirited one! You are awake!"

Spirited one? Alex raises an eyebrow at that, and then shrinks back in embarrassment as everyone around her begins stopping to come and look at her, to see her closer. Alex wasn't usually a claustrophobic person, but she was beginning to understand the feeling in this moment.

She feels ready to sprint back to the tent she'd first woken up in. Evie could always find her later. That's when gentle hands find her shoulders. Squeezing gently, Ardeth's voice says kindly, "Come. Dinner is almost ready." She leans back to look up at him, relaxing a little at the gentle smile on his face. He rubs his hands up and down her arms comfortingly, and then says something to everyone else in Arabic that makes them back up and leave her be.

Slumping in relief, she says, "Thanks." "Of course, Atheer." Smiling at that word, she turns around in his arms and wraps hers around his neck before anything else can happen. Holding him tightly, burying her face in the curve of his neck, she breathes out harshly, "I was worried about you."

Ardeth's arms lock around her waist, one hand braced against her back, his thumb brushing against her spine through the shirt. Sighing against her in kind, he says, "And I you, Atheer. But all is well now." Giving her a firm squeeze, he then says again, "Come. You have to be hungry, and dinner will be ready soon. Besides, I've been told I'm not allowed to hog your attention yet."

Alex blushes deeply at that, but can't help laughing when Evie says from beside them, "Exactly. Now give me my cousin." Ardeth releases her, reluctantly, to Alex's amusement. But then she turns and blinks when Evie points a stern finger at her, "And you! You jumped in front of me!"

Ah. So they were already on that point. Alex might not have been out long, but she'd been out long enough for Evie to wrap her head around the fact that Alex had, literally, sacrificed herself to protect her.

And as Evie tries to glare at her, rather unsuccessfully with the tears welling up in her eyes, Alex just shrugs, "Yeah. And?" Evie blinks, "What do you mean, 'And'?! Alex… you can't do that!" Now Alex glares back, "Yes, I can." "You…" "First of all, it was literally my fucking job to die for you. But second of all, even if I hadn't been 'chosen' to protect you by some ancient Goddess of Egypt, I would've still done it anyway."

Softening her gaze, Alex shrugs, "Come on, Evie. You know me almost better than anybody. What else would you have expected?" "I… I…" Evie finally just slumps her shoulders defeatedly, but says softly, "You died." Alex nods, stepping into Evie's arms. Holding her tight, cradling her head gently, she says, "Yeah, I did. And then you brought me back. Thanks for that, by the way."

Evie finally laughs a bit, hugging Alex back every bit as tight, if not more so. Then she says, "Jason's idea." "Yeah, I know. And where is that little genius?"

Jason jumps out from behind his mother, where he'd apparently been waiting. Smiling up at her, he hugs her round the waist and says, "Good to have you back, Aunt Alex." Alex ruffles his hair while rubbing a hand up and down his back, "Good to be back. Thanks to you, little man." Then she bends down to his height and says, "But seriously, and I do mean seriously. Do not ever… EVER… get kidnapped again. Jason rolls his eyes, but nods in agreement to that request.

Rick and Jonathon hug her as well, and then they all head back to the cushions that had been placed around the large fire for them to sit at. Ardeth was on her left, and the rest of her family was on her right.

As Alex feels Ardeth weave his fingers in between hers, she turns her head to Evie, who asks, "But… are you okay, Alex? I mean… after everything?" Alex nods, "I mean… I think I am. I feel fine. Sore in some places… but fine."

She turns to Ardeth, the silent question in her eyes asking him if he agreed with that assessment. She wasn't dead, but he'd still brought her back here to have some extensive healing done apparently. But to her relief, he simply nods, "You should be."

The he pulls her closer, tugging on her hand in his right until he can hold it in his left. Alex blushes clean to the roots of her hair, but relaxes again when he simply wraps his other arm around her, drawing her in so her head will rest on his chest. Breathing in deeply, soaking up his warmth, she sighs and asks, "How are you? Were there many casualties?" He nods against her, "Yes. Quite a few."

Alex nods, and is about to apologize for his losses. The Medjai were all close in some way, shape or form. They were a band of brothers in a sense. But before she can get that out, she freezes for a moment when he says, "I heard you died." Alex nods her head slowly, honestly not sure what his tone is supposed to imply. Was he angry that she'd broken her promise? Was he disappointed that she hadn't tried harder?

She feels Ardeth kiss the top of her head, contradicting with either of those ideas. And then, as though he were reading her mind, he says, "I'm not mad, Atheer." Relaxing again, Alex says, "It wasn't on purpose or anything." He sighs against the top of her head, "I know. I'm just relieved the boy thought to bring you back." Snuggling closer into him, Alex says quietly, "Me too."

Evie and Rick explain to her that Ardeth had brought them to his village to rest, and to tend to any other wounds or injuries they might have. Alex's had been the most extensive. She'd actually been asleep for an entire day after blacking out, and then still hadn't woken up until half a day after that.

Jason just started laughing when, realizing just how long she actually had been asleep, Alex's response was, "Well, that's just stupid. If I was healing then there wasn't anything wrong with me. I have no excuse for sleeping so long." Evie just shakes her head in amusement, while Rick says, "Yeah, well, considering you died, got brought back to life, and then nearly died again, I'm surprised you're awake now." To which Alex just sticks her tongue out before replying, "Whatever."

Ardeth keeps his arm around her as the festivities go on. Alex is approached by several people, all of whom bow their heads before thanking her for her role in saving the world. She wanted to protest, but Evie assured her that it wasn't just her they were thanking. Evie and Rick, Jonathon and Jason, and even Izzy had all already received their thanks while she was sleeping. Now it was simply her turn.

They didn't tell her that they were thanking her more than the rest of them. They didn't tell her that their awe was also partially because they knew they were standing in the presence of a 'chosen'. But, they could bring that up later… when Alex couldn't argue about it.

They brought her food when it was ready, and she was the first to eat. She thought about protesting that too, but she was too hungry. Ardeth ate beside her, and as people began dancing and singing and rejoicing around the fire well into the night, Alex finally leaned into him and said, "You're really quiet. Even for you."

He squeezes her closer, and then says, "Come."

He rises and takes her hand in his, guiding her away from the fire and back down the path to the tent she'd been in earlier. Frowning a bit, Alex asks, "What? I don't think I need anymore bandages." Ardeth raises an eyebrow, "You wouldn't think you needed them anyway. But that's not why I brought you here." "Then why…" "I am being reassigned."

She pauses at that, and then puts on a passive face and says, "That's good right? New job… maybe better than what you were doing. Does it still have something to do with Imhotep?" A very tiny and amused looking grin briefly appears on his face at the way she's trying to act like him leaving again doesn't bother her. Then he answers, while also loosening the ties of his shirt, "No. Although there will always need to be eyes out to ensure he stays beneath the ground, from the way Evie explained to me how he died, I do not think we need to worry about him being resurrected again. The other elders agree with me."

Alex nods and asks, "So… what are you being reassigned to then? Is there some other dead mummy that could possibly come to life to destroy the world?" Ardeth chuckles, "Not that we are aware of." "Good."

Alex hadn't really been paying attention to his body language. She was honestly trying to avoid looking at him more than necessary. Saying goodbye to him again was going to be hard enough without having to look at him the whole time. But in not paying attention, she missed the fact entirely that he'd started to remove his clothing.

It wasn't until he lifted his shirt up and off his head, that her eyes widened before locking onto him for a moment longer than necessary. His strong physique was usually hidden beneath the layers of black he so constantly wore. But now… his strong arms, ripped torso, the firm tone of his body… she was beginning to see it all.

And the smallest of smirks that appeared on his face again, told her he knew exactly what she was thinking while staring at him. Blushing once more, she quickly darts her eyes away before clearing her throat. Hand running over her hair, she asks, "So… why are you telling me? I mean… are you actually going to have a mailbox now so we don't have to use a falcon to communicate?"

Ardeth shakes his head, amusement shining in his eyes as he answers, "I probably will have a mailbox, but that's not why I'm telling you." Alex tilts her head, taking a step back when he advances towards her. Why was he trying to make this harder than it needed to be?! Shaking her head in confusion, she asks, "Well, then why…"

She backs into a cupboard before she realizes it. The tent looked large, but there was only so many steps you could take before reaching one side or the other. Ardeth closes the rest of the distance between them, his fingers slipping beneath her chin so he can tilt her head up. With no choice but to look at him, she finds herself trapped in his dark brown eyes again.

Then he says softly, his lips just an inch in front of hers, "I told you in the jungle, Atheer. I told you then that I was not going to say goodbye to you. Have you forgotten my promise so soon?" Her mouth falls open briefly, but her confusion prevents any words from coming out. Which suits Ardeth just fine, who takes advantage of her stunned expression. Slanting his mouth over hers, he can't help smiling into the kiss when she gasps in surprise before falling into it with him.

Alex thinks she should probably berate herself for melting into his arms so easily. What the hell was he trying to do? If he was going to some other part of the world, again… she couldn't go with him. Evie and Jonathon; Rick and Jason… they were still people she needed to be near, to take care of. She wouldn't be leaving them. So why the hell was he kissing her like this? Making her heart race and her toes curl and her hands land on his warm chest before wrapping around his shoulders. And why the hell wasn't he wearing a shirt?! That was only making things worse.

His hands wrap around her waist and slide to her back, bringing her even closer. Again, making this a lot worse. She was now pressed against the toned torso she'd been admiring with her eyes earlier. And the smallest of moans that escapes her lips at the fact that she's trapped so close to him, makes her want to pull back and try to force him to let her get her bearings back again. But Ardeth hears it, knows she's trying to keep all of her reactions bottled up as much as she can.

And he'll be having none of that. Tilting his head more, he deepens the kiss further, slipping his tongue past her lips, sweeping the inside of her mouth before drawing her tongue to begin battling with his. And he commits to memory the louder moan that escapes her throat at the action, her hands sliding down his biceps and squeezing hard, either in an attempt to bring him closer, or to try and force herself to stop. He's not sure which one she's actually attempting to do right now.

Frankly, she's not either. Geez! He was making this really freaking hard.

When he does finally pulls back, he rests his head against hers, and Alex has to take a minute to catch her breath. And it was on the tip of her tongue, to ask what the hell he thought he was doing now. Kissing him in the jungle was one thing. But here, after he'd so blatantly told her he was being sent away again? That wasn't being fair. But before she can make any comment at all, he cuts her off and finally says, "I am being reassigned to the British Museum."

Alex's entire body goes still in surprise, and though he's grinning again, Ardeth continues nonchalantly, "It occurred to my people that if we had branched out there a little, as we had with the curator in Cairo, this entire incident could've been more easily prevented. So I will be a part of the staff there. Evelyn will be the head, obviously, but I will work there as well."

Silence for a moment. Ardeth simply waits for her to take a minute to process what he just said. Because the British Museum… that was only about a thirty minute drive from where she currently lived. That was… well, doable. That was…

As her eyes narrow in what he knows is supposed to be her trying to pretend to be angry, Ardeth begins chuckling when Alex says, "You are… sneaky Medjai! You did that on purpose!" "Did what?" She punches him in the shoulder, "You know exactly what you did!" "Come now, Atheer." But she crosses her arms, pushing away from him as much as she can before saying, "Oh, don't 'Atheer' me right now! I'm mad at you."

Raising an eyebrow, Ardeth says, "No, you're not." Alex raises her own back, "Wanna bet?" He leans in so his nose is next to hers in response. Alex's breath catches in her throat, much to her chagrin. The man wasn't playing fair. And he freaking knew it too. And maybe, possibly, she should be a little angry with how blatantly he was teasing her in all of this. But before she can try to turn away again, Ardeth takes a moment to simply breathe her in, and then answers her question with, "Absolutely."

She stays perfectly still for a moment, staring back at him. But he knew she wouldn't be able to hold onto what little fake anger she'd managed to work up for long. And finally, she cracks a tiny smile before saying, "I'm still mad at you. Even if you do have your shirt off." He laughs outright at that, and then gently cups her face in his hand. Brushing against her cheek with his thumb, he pauses when Alex asks, "So… why do I need to know that?" Ardeth raises an eyebrow again, "You're an intelligent woman, Alexandra. Are you actually trying to tell me that you don't know already know?" "I have an idea. But I'd prefer it if you'd just tell me."

Ardeth kisses the end of her nose in response, and then brushes his against hers again before saying, "Very well, Atheer." But instead of actually speaking his answer right away, he reaches into his pocket. And Alex can't stop her mouth from dropping open when she sees the ring in his fingers. The blue sapphire that is sits nestled within weaving bands of silver is beautiful. The eye of Horus is carved into the metal on either side of the gem, and then the word 'Atheer' is engraved on the bottom inside of the ring.

He takes her left hand in his, slipping the perfectly sized ring onto her fourth finger. Then he kisses her knuckles gently before saying, "I understand you very well, Alexandra Taren. I know your family means more to you than anything else in this world. And I know that somehow, by some miracle, you allowed me to share the space in your heart that is reserved for them."

Looking into her eyes, he says, "I understand you need to be close to them. To keep an eye on them, and to protect them. I, on the other hand, can do my job in this life from anywhere. I do not need to be here to serve my people. And I do not need to be here in order to be happy. All I need for that, is you."

Alex feels a tear fall from her eye, and Ardeth's thumb brushes it away before he explains, "The house that will be purchased for us will be the one neighboring Rick and Evelyn's property. There is a small bit of distance between the two houses. The estates are quite large. But you would be within walking distance of them."

Alex nods, and then can't help but ask, "Our house?" Ardeth smiles gently, and then rests his forehead against hers while closing his eyes. For a moment, they just stand there in silence, basking in each other's company. It wasn't like Alex didn't know what was coming next already.

She still couldn't help letting out a gasp of overjoyed laughter, when Ardeth finally whispered softly, "Marry me, Atheer. Become my wife, my companion through the remainder of this life. Come with me, live with me, and keep watch over this heart of mine that you have already stolen. You hold it captive in your hands. And captive I will happily remain, for all the days that are left to us."

Kissing her gently, he asks, "Please? Will you marry me, Alexandra Taren."

She can't speak. Not yet anyway. Her mouth opens a little, but the words simply fail her. So instead, she nods eagerly, a giggle erupting up out of her throat at the beaming smile that spreads across Ardeth's face.

She manages to finally get out, "Yes. Yes, I…" And then his lips are on hers again. Only this time he's taking no prisoners, and she has no more reason to try and resist at all. His hands slide around her waist, fingers tracing up her back before dragging back down. Alex trembles in his arms, and then gasps when he reaches down for her legs. Hefting her up by her thighs, locking them around his waist, he walks her over to the bed in his room.

When she feels the bed at her back, she opens her eyes to look up at Ardeth hovering over her. Smiling up at him, she presses a hand to his chest to stop him from kissing her again. She laughs at his confused expression, but then pretends to be asking him quite seriously, "I get to keep my knives by the door, right?"

Ardeth just chuckles as he begins lifting her shirt from her body. Alex blushes as he kisses the center of her chest tenderly, but smiles all the same when he says, "Yes, Atheer. You can keep them by the door, by the bed, wherever you would like. So long as they stay out of the bed itself, I don't mind where they are." Alex blinks at that, and then can't stop herself from asking, "And why shouldn't they be in the bed? Just out of curiosity?"

He kisses down her chest, and she trembles as he tugs at her pants. And then she moans when he whispers against her skin, "Nothing we do in the bed will require any dagger of yours. You will leave that to me." He chuckles again when he sees her reach her hands to her face to cover her ever deepening blush. Shaking her head, she says through her hands, "Fuck, that shouldn't turn me on."

He kisses across her hipline, and then slowly works his way back up her stomach and chest. Kissing the smooth curve of her neck, he whispers, "I love you, Alexandra Taren. I love you now, I loved you then, and I will love you for the rest of our days." Alex cradles his head to keep him against her, taking in a shaky breath as he tugs at the skin of her throat. Then she says in return, "I love you, Ardeth Baye. And I will never let you go again." She feels him smile against her, and then he says, "Good. Now… allow me to show you just how unnecessary your daggers will be in this bed." "Fuck, you have to stop saying that."

But before the night is done, she will admit that she wholeheartedly agrees with him.

* * *

And that's Chapter 14! The End! Hope you enjoyed it!

On a side note, it was pointed out to me that on a couple of occasions, I called Horus, Ardeth's loyal bird, an owl. He is not an owl. He is a falcon. I have gone back and worked on correcting that error on my part, so hopefully I found all of those instances and fixed them. Just FYI.


End file.
